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THE    FAR    INTEPtlOR: 

A  NARRATIVE 

OP 

TKAVEL  AND  ADVENTURE 

FUOM 

THE  CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE  ACPtOSS  THE  ZA.AIDESI 

TO   THE 

LAKE  REGIONS  OF  CENTRAL  AFRICA 


BY 

WALTER  MONTAGU  KERR,  C.E.,  F.R.G.S. 


WITH  NUMEROUS  ILLUSTRATIONS  ENGRAVED  BY 
MR.  J.  D.  COOPER  AND  OTHERS 


IN  TWO  VOLUMES.— Vol.  L 


BOSTON 

HOUGHTON,    MIFFLIN    AND     COMPANY 

'Wlxt  |^ibn-0ii)e  ^rces,  Cambvibgc 

1886 


LONDON  : 

PRINTED   BY   WILLIAM  CLOWES  AND  SONS,  LIMITED, 

STAMFORD   STEEET  AND   CHARING   CBOSS. 


35'! 

V.I 


TO 

The  earl  OF  DUNRAVEN,  K.P., 

■WHOSE  INSPIBING  COXJNSEIi  AND  KIND  ENCOUEAGEMENT  STRENGTHENED 

THE  DESIRE  FOB  THOSE  TRAVELS,  OF  WHICH  THE 

FOLLOWING  PAGES  ARE   A  RECORD, 

THIS    BOOK 

BY  HIS  KINSMAN  AND  FRIEND, 

THE  AUTHOR. 


1G50025 


PREFACE. 


These  volumes  do  not  contain  the  story  of  an  expedition 
in  the  accepted  meaning  of  that  term  :  in  other  words,  they 
do  not  relate  the  intentions,  progress,  and  achievements  of 
an  organised  and  fully-equipped  company  entering  and 
traversing  unknown  territory.  Records  of  such  expeditions, 
more  particularly  in  connection  with  African  investigation, 
are  numerous ;  but  in  the  case  of  the  present  narrative  I 
hope  for  a  hearing  because  my  journey  was  undertaken  and 
accomplished  alone;  I  was  unaided,  and  had  no  companion- 
ship of  white  men,  neither  had  I  a  corps  of  regularly 
enlisted  carriers. 

When,  at  Chibinga,  I  was  abandoned  by  the  few  so  far 
faithful  Kaffirs,  who  had  accompanied  me  northwards  from 
Matabeli-land,  I  was  left  to  depend  upon  personal  resources — 
to  seek  food  and  guides  from  the  various  wild  tribes  whom  I 
encountered. 

From  that  circumstance  I  imagine  that  the  recital  of  my 
experiences  should  present  a  very  clear  reflection  of  the 
natural  life  of  some  of  the  races  in  south-east  equatorial 
Africa.  What  I  mean  by  this  is,  that  regularly  organised 
bodies  of  men,  total  strangers  to  the  communities  they 
meet  with,  are  often  kept  at  a  distance  from  the  people 
through  natural  suspicion  or  prejudice.  Being  alone,  and 
taking  guides  merely  from  tribe  to  tribe,  I  was  looked  upon 
generally  as  a  sort  of  curiosity,  although  it  must  be  re- 
marked that  through  this  very  solitariness  several  dangerous 


vi  PREFACE. 


emergencies  arose,  which  might  have  terminated  fatally. 
Passing  as  I  did  from  tribe  to  tribe,  I  lived  during  a  large 
stretch  of  my  travels  as  the  Kaffirs  lived,  mingling  freely 
among  them,  certainly  not  from  choice,  but  from  stern 
necessity.  Opportunities  therefore  for  observing  closely  the 
modes  and  conditions  of  native  life  were  unusually  good ; 
and  if  in  these  pages  I  have  been  successful  in  describing 
clearly  my  varied  experiences,  I  hope  the  result  in  book 
form  will  be  considered  both  a  readable  as  well  as  a  useful 
contribution  to  geographical  knowledge,  especially  in  its 
relation  to  the  peoples  of  Africa.  Should  my  readers  be  of 
opinion  that  I  have  painted  a  faithful  and  tolerably  vivid 
picture,  not  wearisome  to  the  eye,  I  shall  feel  that  this  self- 
imposed  mission  has  not  been  fruitless.  With  regard  to 
Africa  and  the  Africans,  I  am  convinced  that  any  white 
man  following  in  my  footsteps  will  not  be  less  kindly 
received  on  account  of  my  having  preceded  him. 

It  is  my  fortune  to  have  been  the  first  white  to  traverse, 
throughout,  the  great  extent  of  territory  stretching  between 
Cape  Colony  and  the  Lake  regions  of  Central  Africa.  I 
crossed  the  Zambesi  at  Tette,  and  skirting  the  Makanga 
country,  passed  through  Angoni-land,  and  ultimately 
reached  Lake  Nyassa,  only  to  find  that  the  mission  station 
of  Livingstonia,  which  had  been  the  bright  goal  of  my  long 
journey  and  the  centre  of  my  hopes  of  relief  (for  by  that 
time  I  was  in  a  wretched  condition),  was  deserted ! 

South  of  the  Zambesi  I  passed  through  various  hitherto 
unknown  lands,  and  alighted  upon  the  tribe  called  Makori- 
kori,  now  described  for  the  first  time. 

My  rescue  at  Livingstonia,  by  the  steamer  of  the  African 
Lakes  Company,  on  board  which  I  found  Lieutenant  Giraud, 
the  gallant  leader  of  the  French  Exploring  Expedition, 
may  be  spoken  of  as  being  the  climax  of  a  series  of  happy 
deliverances  without  which  the  journey  would  have  been 


PREFACE. 


frustrated  on  several  occasions,  even  at  a  very  early  period 
of  its  course.  Desertions  by  followers,  scarcity  of  pro- 
visions, and,  in  later  stages,  the  want  of  articles  for  the 
purposes  of  barter,  landed  me  frequently  in  apparently 
desperate  plights,  from  which  by  almost  miraculous  coin- 
cidences of  fortune  I  was  lifted  at  the  last  moment,  when 
my  purpose  seemed  to  have  been  finally  balked,  and  even 
Hope  was  well-nigh  dead. 

When  I  left  Livingstonia,  I  canoed  down  the  Shire  river, 
passing  through  a  war  between  the  Mazinjiri  and  Portu- 
guese. 

It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  all,  or  nearly  all  the 
natural  history  and  botanical  specimens  which  I  collected 
were  lost,  or  had  to  be  abandoned.  Eapidity  of  movement 
precluded  close  investigation  in  these  and  other  branches 
of  science.  I  took,  however,  every  opportunity  I  could  take 
of  making  as  many  geographical  observations  as  possible. 
These  are  embodied  in  the  present  work,  and  in  the  map 
which  accompanies  it. 

Hunting  incidents  were  numerous,  all  along  the  line  of 
travel ;  and  most  of  the  mammalia  and  birds  which  I  en- 
countered in  the  chase  are  mentioned  in  the  narrative.  But 
I  have  thought  it  advisable  not  to  dilate  too  much  upon 
sporting  experiences,  choosing  rather  to  confine  such  descrip- 
tions to  accounts  of  some  of  the  principal  adventures.  In 
omitting  some  of  this  matter,  I  am  partly  influenced  by  the 
knowledge  that  numerous  admirable  books  on  the  aspects 
of  the  hunter's  life  are  already  in  existence.  With  regard 
to  Southern  Africa,  I  know  of  none  better  than  the  work  of 
my  friend  Mr.  Selous,  who  is  frequently  mentioned  in  the  fol- 
lowing pages,  namely,  "  A  Hunter's  Wanderings  in  Africa." 

A  word  or  two  must  be  said  respecting  the  gold  regions. 
One  of  the  results  of  this  journey  is  that  those  regions,  lying 
between  Matabeli-land  and   Tette,  on   the  Zambesi,  have 


viii  PREFACE. 

been  located  as  accurately  as  circumstances  would  allow. 
Thus  future  travellers  and  prospectors  may  find  some  useful 
hints  in  the  information  now  supplied.  A  very  sanguine 
man  would  doubtless  see  in  those  gold  regions  the  future 
uprising  of  vigorous  trade,  and  the  subsequent  and  conse- 
quent wealth  of  Eastern  Africa.  While  I  sincerely  think 
that  this  is  a  consummation  devoutly  to  be  wished,  I  have 
been  careful  to  speak  of  things  just  as  I  found  them,  without 
colour  and  without  gloom.  But  I  have  been  taught  the 
lesson  of  caution  with  regard  to  these  matters  in  an  old  and 
tried  school,  namely,  the  golden  lands  of  the  far  west  of 
America,  where  fortune  and  failure  in  mining  go  like 
the  strokes  of  a  pendulum.  To  any  one  experiencing  the 
buffeting  of  that  roughly  practical  school,  the  romantic  side 
of  gold-seeking  and  the  idle  dreams  of  fairy  lands  of  hidden 
treasure  must  of  necessity  have  lost  their  charms. 

Connected  with  the  preparation  of  this  account  of  my 
travels  and  experiences,  I  have  to  acknowledge  a  deep  debt 
of  gratitude  to  my  friend  Mr.  William  Stephen,  for  his 
generous  and  painstaking  assistance  in  the  work  of  literary 
revision. 

To  my  publishers  I  express  thanks  for  the  attention  they 
have  paid  to  the  book,  and  the  interest  they  have  taken  in 
its  progress. 

I  think  the  names  of  most  of  those  who  aided  me  at 
different  points,  when  I  was  beginning  and  when  I  was 
ending  this  journey,  are  mentioned  in  the  body  of  the  book ; 
but  I  must  again  thank,  with  most  grateful  feelings,  all 
those  hospitable  and  kind-hearted  people  who  assisted  me 
en  route.  Whether  they  are  white  or  black,  their  kindness 
is  not  likely  to  be  forgotten.  The  list  of  names  is  copious, 
and  in  it  that  of  Mr.  Thomas,  of  Shilo,  bears  a  prominent 
place,  so  that  it  was  with  the  deepest  regret  that  I  recently 
heard  of  the  mystery  which  now  surrounds  his  fate.     Soon 


PREFACE. 


after  my  departure  Mr.  Thomas  started  on  a  hunting 
expedition  to  the  north,  accompanied  by  a  large  following 
of  Matabeli  hunters.  Nearly  all  the  following  became 
frightened  on  reaching  the  river,  and  refused  to  cross. 
Mr.  Thomas  therefore  sent  them  home.  On  returning 
they  reported  that  they  had  left  Mr.  Thomas  on  the 
Zambesi  suffering  from  fever.  Not  a  word  has  been  heard 
of  him  since  that  time. 

This  opportunity  must  also  be  taken  to  mention  the 
excellent  work  done  by  Mr.  Kowland  Ward,  of  Piccadilly, 
the  well-known  naturalist,  who  has  prepared  various  hunting 
trophies  for  me  with  admirable  effect. 

One  word  more.  The  remark  I  have  made  respecting 
the  fact  of  my  speaking  of  the  gold  regions  just  as  I  found 
them,  must  apply  to  the  whole  range  of  subjects  in  these 
two  volumes.  I  know  that  in  some  instances  I  have  not 
shown  that  enthusiasm  towards  projects  for  opening  up 
Africa  as  has  been  displayed  by  other  travellers ;  but  then 
it  was  not  my  lot  to  come  across  any  peculiar  encouragement 
such  as  would  have  enabled  me  to  speak  with  hope  and 
with  confidence  of  success  in  that  direction.  I  would  not 
write  words  of  absolute  despair  regarding  the  prospects  of 
the  lands  through  which  I  passed,  but  I  have  endeavoured 
to  draw  all  my  conclusions  without  the  sway  of  prejudice. 

I  will  therefore  withhold  any  definite  judgment  as  to  the 
value  of  this  portion  of  Africa  to  the  countries  of  Christen- 
dom, leaving  my  readers  to  draw  their  own  conclusions  from 
the  descriptions  and  thoughts  contained  in  the  following 
pages,  and  always  advising  them  to  bear  in  mind  the  words 
of  our  famous  Laureate^ 

"Cleave  ever  to  the  sunnier  side  of  doubt." 

W.  Montagu  Kerr. 


South  Kensington,  July  1886. 


CONTENTS    OF    VOL.    1. 

CHAPTER  I. 

DARTMOUTH   TO   THE   DIAMOND   FIELDS. 

Hopes  of  "  Golden  Africa  " — Influence  of  old  writers — IMy  eai  ly 
dreams  of  travel — On  board  the  Druinmond  Castle — TMaduira — 
Curiosities  of  the  wine  trade — Madeira  as  a  health  resort — St. 
Helena — Africa  at  last ! — Cape  Town — Telegraphing  to  the  in- 
terior— News  of  the  hunters — Mr.  Selous^ — Happy  days  at 
Wynberg — Objections  to  my  plan — Dr.  Holub's  expedition — An 
odd  and  dangerous  landing — A  tremendous  explosion — Descrip- 
tion of  Port  Elizabeth — Northward  ho  ! — "  Bad  luck  to  the  man 
that  dhrove  it ! " — Colesberg  railway  terminus — 145  miles  in  a 
Cape  cart — Arrival  at  Kimberley — The  Diamond  Fields — The 
mining  fever — Hard  times — Kimberley  Mine — Description  of 
mining  and  mining  gear — Restrictions  on  diamond  trade — Kaflir 
workers — A  contested  election     ....         l-V) 

CHAPTER  II. 

THEOUGH  THE  NEW  PROTECTORATE. 

Nearing  a  station — Klerksdorp — Unexpected  meeting  with  Selous — 
His  opinions  of  my  project — ^The  humours  of  Lo-bengula — -The 
danger  of  shooting  "sea-cow" — Hunters  in  trouble^Gold- 
seeking  Americans — Equipping  for  the  veldt — Kimberley  again 
— "  Cape  Smoke  " — Coach  passengers — Starting  for  the  veldt — 
Uncertainty  of  the  future — Lichtenberg — Absence  of  hard  cash 
— Odd  trading — Jacobsdaal — Zeerust — Boer  troubles — Small-pox 
and  fumigation — A  hasty  departure — Linokana  in  Bechuana-land 
— KafBr  taxes — Linokana  attacked  by  the  Boers — Hermansberg 
Missionary  Society — Moghose's  station — Measures  for  the  pre- 
vention of  small-pox — Excessive  power  of  a  landdrost  or  chief 
magistrate — Religious  zeal  of  the  Boers — King  Secheli — Dilapi- 
dated royalty — Hunting  memories — "  Camels,  by  Jove !  " — 
Khama's  Town — Shoshong  or  Bamangwato — Another  "  Lord  of 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Boundless  Dominions  " — An  awkward  squad — Trade  of  Shoshong 
— Dread  of  Matabeli — Giraffe  hunting — War  preparations — 
Khama's  wife — Little  Kanyemba — A  queer  medicine  chest — A 
worthless  land — Irrigation  impossible — The  Shashi  river — 
Matabeli-land 17-39 


CHAPTER  III. 

IN  lo-bengula's  countey. 

The  Tati  Gold  Fields — Dinner  with  the  Jesuit  fathers — A  reckless 
traveller — The  mines  and  their  working — First  appearance  of 
Korana  John — Game  gradually  disappearing — A  disastrous  flash 
of  lightning — Among  the  Matabeh — Symptoms  of  horse-sickness 
— Lost  in  the  veldt — A  shot  at  a  pauw — Unexpected  aid — 
Return  to  the  waggons — "  Lo-ben  is  friendly  " — An  escort  sent 
— Matabeli  gardens — Scene  at  Magubuduani — Approaching 
Buluwayo — The  "  New  Valhalla  " — The  country  full  of  fever — 
An  improvised  hospital — Poor  Whitaker  ! — The  King  in  his 
kraal — Reception  by  Lo-ben — The  Queens  of  the  Matabeli — In 
the  royal  harem — Meeting  a  Yorkshireman — Interior  of  a  queen's 
hut — Beef  and  beer  with  a  vengeance  ! — "  The  King  can  do  no 
wrong  " — "  Go  well,  Son  of  the  Sea  " — Poetical  expressions  of  the 
Matabeli — Description  of  Buluwayo — Inxwala,  the  great  dance — 
Royal  bloodshed — Matabeli  moraUty — Selous  attacked  by  fever — ■ 
The  Comte  de  Lapanose — Farewell  to  Selous — Lo-ben's  origin — 
The  King  explains  the  country's  customs — His  final  permission 
— Description  of  my  party — A  bad  start — "  Why,  man,  he's 
drunk  !  " — Breakdown  of  the  cart — Start  with  waggon  and  oxen 
— John's  penitence— Shiloh — Massacre  of  Captain  Paterson's 
party — An  apostle  of  work — Inyati  mission  station — Last  outpost 
of  the  London  Missionary  Society — Kind  friends — Farewell  to 
the  last  white  man 40-7  6 

CHAPTER  IV. 

THE   "  BIG   GAME  "   COUNTRT. 

Stocking  the  larder — ^My  "  C.  L.  K."  rifle — A  zebra  hunt — "  Gijima, 
gijima  !  " — Hollow  bullets — An  unpleasant  ducking — The  moun- 
tains between  the  Zambesi,  Sabia  and  Limpopo — Difficulty  in 
lion  hunting — Humours  of  ox-driving — The  Sepaque  river — Out 
of  the  track — Clearing  under  difficulties — Elephant  spoor — 
Fruitless  pursuit — Umvuli  river — A  catalogue  of  miseries — Story 
of  Windvogel's  victim — John  and  the  wolf — Lion  incidents — A 
dangerous  ford — An  elephant  hunt — The  honey-bird's  note  of 


CONTENTS. 


warning  —  Thrilling  moments — A  good  day's  work — Kaffir 
gluttony — Game  and  honey — Selous'  deserted  camp  of  1883 — 
Taroman  missing 77-95 


CHAPTEE  V. 

INTO   MASHONA-LAND. 

Food  supplies — John's  concertina — Stirring  dreams — Protection  at 
night — John  has  an  eye  to  the  future — We  leave  Taromau  be- 
hind— His  revenge — The  prairie  on  fire — A  close  escape — 
Matabeli  raids — Sudden  appearance  of  Mashona  hunters — 
Chibero's — Description  of  a  Mashona  stronghold — Matabeli  war 
tactics — Desolating  results — Advantages  of  silence — Chibero  is 
stubborn — The  carrier  difficulty — Stupid  advice — Little  Unyam- 
wenda — One  of  Nature's  dungeons — Native  trading — Recruiting 
volunteers — "  Villum  "  or  Chirumutu — Writing  unknown  — 
Harassing  bargains — "  I  melt  de  fat  of  de  olifant,  Master  " — 
That  exasperating  fellow  Taroman — Harte-beest  hunting — 
Mashona  mode  of  hunting — Netting  game — General  appearance 
of  the  Mashona — Mashona  girls — Weapons — The  assegai — A 
persecuted  race — Diet — Cattle — A  dilatory  start — The  waggon 
abandoned — "  Tussa,  tussa  ! " — Baggage  for  the  journey — The 
body-guard — Taroman  incensed — Helplessness  of  the  whites 
among  the  blacks — The  company  start  on  foot  for  the  north      96-124 


CHAPTER    VI. 

MASHONA-LAND. 

A  funny  ceremony — Working  on  superstition — Hypocritical  Taroman 
— An  immense  prairie  fire — Meditations  on  the  journey — Cold 
dews — The  slumbering  camp — Unyamwenda,  the  chief — A 
tough-skinned  fellow — Desertions — Bundles  of  wisdom — Old 
Sebaii  appears — The  charred  plain — The  Zururu  river — John's 
success  in  hunting — Gorging  the  crowd — Furious  quarrels  over 
meat — The  best  way  to  manage  natives — Sterile  rocks  of 
Mashona-land — Making  a  skerm — Mashona  music — Karemba's 
repute  as  a  performer — Native  dancing — Pleasure  in  primitive 
life — "  Ah,  master,  I  never  see  people  like  here  !  " — Craving  for 
limbo  and  beads — The  Umvukwe  and  Rusaka  mountains — 
Etsatse  river — A  troublesome  goat— Curious  hut — Prospecting 
for  gold — Mashona  ablutions — Honest  natives — Unexpected 
appearance  of  Mchesa,  the  Vulcan  of  Mashona-land — Pursued  by 
grass  fires^Blacksmithing  in    the  wildernesses — A   primitive 


CONTENTS. 


PAGB 

forge — Ironstone  of  the  countiy — Troubles  in  camp — A  night 
scene — Clannishness — Threat  to  kill  Sagwam — Quarrels  in  camp 
— A  doubtful  expedition 125-166 


CHAPTER  VII. 

FBOM  THE  WAYNGE   BIVEK   TO   THE   UMVUKWE  MOUNTAINS. 

Sebaii  the  orator — Appearance  of  the  country — The  Ruia  river — 
"  Igova,  Muliliti" — The  solemnity  of  snuffing — Fortunate 
shooting — "  Ten  thousand  devils,  John  and  Sagwam  dead  !  " — 
The  treacherous  Unyamwenda — An  early  start — Effects  of  a 
sudden  appearance — John  in  despair — Astonishing  the  disturbers 
— Lucky  help — Necessity  for  quick  progress — Visit  to  Muliliti, 
the  chief — His  home  circle — The  'cute  old  dodger  Sandani — Feet 
torments — Marshy  country — New  carriers  and  a  new  guide — A 
marrow-hone  feast — Endurance  of  natives  on  the  march — Signs 
of  lions — The  Umzengezi  river — Discouraging  news — Humoius 
of  roll-call — Splendid  view  from  the  Umvukwe  mountains — 

.     Solitude 167-195 

CHAPTER  Vlir. 


Soothing  of  the  followers — Names  of  trees — The  Karue  river — 
Warnings  of  danger — ^Rocks  alive  with  people — The  Makorikori 
people — Fear  to  approach  the  white  man — Alarm  in  the  camp — 
"  Geeve  it  um,  master,  geeve  it  um  !  " — Surrounded  by  armed 
warriors — Forebodings  of  danger — Chuzu,  the  chief — An  unsatis- 
factory interview — Demands  for  powder — "  Master,  master,  the 
people  are  coming  to  kill  us ! " — The  bag  of  sovereigns — Anxious 
moments — "You  are  M'zungo" — Tricks  of  intimidation — The 
party  is  threatened  with  massacre — An  old  woman's  friendly 
warning — Ominous  signs — Our  midnight  retreat — An  awkward 
bridge — Out  of  the  difficulty — The  disappointing  check — "  Ho, 
for  northern  Matabeli-land !  "—Shall  I  return  ?    .      .      .     .   196-213 


CHAPTER  IX. 

RECONNOITRING. 

Ah,  master  !  I  tink  of  me  leetle  wife  " — Negotiating  with  Sandani 
— He  tells  of  Negomo — Chibero  dread  and  mistrust — The  valley 
of  the  Etsatse — The  Grumapudzi  river — An  uninviting  country 
— Gold  finding  possible — A  friendly  welcome — "  Gughle,  gughle 


CONTENTS. 


I'AG  K 

seree ! " — Curing  a  fit — My  first  present — Friglitening  the  white 
man — Native  drums — Gold — Products  of  tlie  country — IVIodo  of 
life — Chibabura  presents  me  Avith  an  ox — Friendly  peo|ile — 
Assegai  practice — A  successful  shot — Cobblins  slices — Ap- 
pearance of  the  people — Adornments  of  the  women  and  men — 
Absence  of  gold  ornaments — Smoking  customs — Entertainments 
— Weapons  and  implements — The  "  look-out " — A  strange 
musician — Anxiety  about  John — Powder  of  native  manufacture 
— Reflections  on  the  retreat  from  Chuzu's — Startled  by  a  baboon 
—Retrospect 214-235 


CHAPTER  X. 

inyota's  tranquil  land. 

Camp  fires  in  the  distance — Reappearance  of  John — His  miserable 
looks — Sandani  is  gratified — Camp  before  Inyota — Karemba's 
eccentricities — John's  troubles — Kaffir  ingratitude — The  Bush- 
man lost — A  vain  search — My  terrified  companion — The  nume- 
rous wives  of  Sandani — The  "oracle"  sings  the  praises  of  the 
white  man — Chibabura's  reception — A  palaver — Wonders  of  the 
mirror — Physicking  the  crowd — Settling  Sandani's  claims — The 
Rock  of  Wisdom — Chibabura's  town — Native  workmansliijD — 
Bark  blankets — Pottery — A  favoured  land  and  people — Makori- 
kori  songs — Character  of  the  people — Customs — Knowledge  of 
agriculture — Contentment — Freedom  from  crime — Their  life 
compared  with  civilized  povertj' — A  peaceful  scene — Oh,  happy 
and  favoured  Inyota  ! 236-253 


CHAPTER  XI. 

AMONG   THE    MAKORIKORI    PEOPLE. 

Tedious  marching — Magombegombe  mountains — John  is  "varee 
seek  " — Our  comical  goat — Baboons — Lubola  mountains — Zinga- 
bila — Mode  of  making  bark  blankets — M'jela,  the  chief — Kun- 
yungwi  still  far  off — Desertions — Method  of  securing  an  ox — 
Difficulty  in  getting  boys — Presents  from  M'jela — Umfana's 
eating  powers — The  Dorah  river — Camping  places  selected  by 
natives — A  lioness  in  the  way — Lost  chances  of  a  shot — John's 
lion  experiences — A  fearful  position — A  wild  forest  scene — 
Hovering  vultures — Adventure  with  a  lioness — Native  scramble 
for  the  lion's  prey — Happy  natives — The  Mutua  river — The 
Ruiana  river — I'he  Makomwe  mountains — An  amusing  old 
fossil — Long  fasting — Poor  diet — The  "dry  goods  bank"  nearly 


CONTENTS. 


empty — "  How  many  moons  is  dat  since  we  leave  Buluwayo  ?  " 
— Miseries  of  travel — Native  houses — The  "  Three  Brothers  " — 
The  great  basin  of  the  Zambesi — Tropical  forests       .     .     ,  254-277 


CHAPTER  XII. 

ENTERING   THE   "FLY   COUNTEY." 

A  descent  into  heat — Tea  the  best  drink — Drinking  generally — 
Rhinoceros — Symptoms  of  another  strike — Intense  heat — 
Msingua  river — Sum — "  Dar  is  the  tsetse  fly  now,  master !  " — 
The  "  Fly  Country  "  at  last — An  odd  hue  and  cry — Mysterious 
words  —  Strange  conduct  of  the  guides  —  Unravelling  the 
mystery 278-284 

CHAPTER  XIIL 

CHIBINGA. 

Skulls  on  gate-posts — Black  but  not  comely — Meaning  of  Mzungo — 
A  dubious  reception — Karemba's  nonchalance — Marching  into 
the  town — Confusion  of  tongues — Undesirable  quarters — A  water- 
less river — Himgry  retainers — Absence  of  King  Sakanii — 
Hunting,  a  last  resource — The  mother  of  the  monarch — Rats 
swarming — A  mutilating  wolf — Inyota  versus  women — "  Satan  " 
is  bibulous — Flies  in  myriads — Signs  of  disaffection — Negotia- 
tions with  the  "  faithfuls  " — Truculent  Inyota — The  monarch's 
mother  commands  my  attendance — Curious  reception — Hopes 
revived — Deplorable  servility — Comparison  with  Mexican  peone 
— The  palmero  punishment — "  Us  shall  die  from  de  hunger  " — 
I  start  in  search  of  the  King — Bringing  down  a  boar — Game  on 
the  route — The  Mkumbura  river — Spoor  of  wild  animals — The 
busy  tsetse — Description  of  the  tsetse — A  lion  adventure — 
Fierceness  of  heat — The  Umzengaizi  river — Msenza — Meeting 
with  Sakanii — Courteous  greeting — Civilized  comforts — The 
King's  mode  of  travelling — His  Portuguese  connection — Return- 
ing to  Chibinga — The  King's  bearers — Rapid  progress — Prospects 
of  relief — Noisy  welcome  to  Chibinga 285-316 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Portrait  of  the  Author 

A  South  African  Trophy    .. 

Landing  at  Port  Elizabeth 

"Outspan" 

Portrait  of  Mr.  F.  C.  Selous 

The  Royal  Kraal  of  Lobengela 

"The  Faithfuls" 

Across  the  Umvuli    .. 

An  Anxious  Moment  .. 

Mode  of  Crossing  Rivers    .. 

The  Vulcan  of  Mashona-land 

Midnight  Retreat  from  Chuzu's 

Making  Bark  Blankets 

"With  a  low  growl  she  stalked  through  the 

TALL   grass" 

A  Night  Surprise — Mkumbura  River 


Froiifispieri' 

paijti  xviii. 

To  face  2>a;;c.       8 

26 

2xt,ye     35 

To  face  jyaue     50 

Tpagc     08 

To  face  page     >~,'6 

92 

page  127 

To  face  page  158 

212 

page  258 

To  face  page  268 
308 


Map  of  a  Journey  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  across  the  Zambesi, 
to  Lake    Nyassa  (/rom  a  Survey  by  W.  Montagu  Kerr,  C.E.). 


A   SOUTH    AFBICAN    TROPHY. 


THE    FAR    INTEEIOE. 

CHAPTER  I. 

DAKTMOUTH  TO  THE  DIAMOND  FIELDS. 

Hopes  of  "Golden  Africa" — Influence  of  old  writers — IMy  early  dreams 
of  travel — On  board  the  Drummond  Castle — Madeira — Curiosities  of 
the  wine  trade — Madeira  as  a  health  resort — St.  Helena — Africa  at 
last ! — Cape  Town — Telegraphing  to  the  interior — News  of  the  hunters 
— Mr.  Selous — Happy  days  at  Wynberg — Objections  to  my  plan — Dr. 
Holub's  expedition^-An  odd  and  dangerous  landing — A  tremendous 
explosion — Description  of  Port  Elizabeth — Northward  ho ! — "  Bad  luck 
to  the  man  that  dhrove  it!" — Colesberg  railway  terminus— 145  miles 
in, a  Cape  cart — Arrival  at  Kimberley — The  Diamond  Fields — -The 
mining  fever — Hard  times — Kimberley  Mine — Description  of  mining 
and  mining  gear — Eestrictions  on  diamond  trade — Kaffir  workers — A 
contested  election. 

Among  some  fugitive  writings  of  Thackeray's  which  have 
lately  been  embodied  in  a  volume,  most  readers  doubtless 
will  have  observed  the  following  lines  : — 

"  Desolate  Afric !  thou  art  lovely  yet ! 
One  heart  yet  beats  which  ne'er  shall  thee  forget. 
What  though  thy  maidens  are  a  blackish  brown, 
Does  virtue  dwell  in  whiter  breasts  alone  ? 
Oh  no,  oh  no,  oh  no,  oh  no,  oh  no ! 
It  shall  not,  must  not,  cannot  e'er  be  so. 
The  day  shall  come  when  Albion's  self  shall  feel 
Stem  Afric's  wrath,  and  writhe  'neath  Afric's  steel. 
I  see  the  tribes  the  hill  of  glory  mount, 
And  sell  their  sugars  on  their  own  account ; 
While  round  her  throne  the  prostrate  nations  come, 
Sue  for  her  rice  and  barter  for  her  rum." 

VOL.  I.  B 


THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 


The  great  satirist  here  gives,  in  humorous  heroics,  a 
fair  description  of  the  hopes  of  Christendom  with  regard  to 
the  progress  of  "  golden  Africa."  No  land  in  modern  times 
has  attracted  so  much  curious  attention  among  the  sons 
of  civilisation.  Missions  have  been  maintained  in  the 
country  at  enormous  cost,  and  worked  in  many  instances 
with  indomitable  pluck.  Pioneers  of  commerce  have  pene- 
trated to  its  inmost  recesses,  and  the  same  may  be  said  of 
the  great  explorers  who  pushed  on  with  the  higher  purpose 
of  adding  to  the  knowledge  of  mankind  some  new  facts 
relating  to  hitherto  unknown  races  and  regions. 

There  is  a  peculiar  charm  in  the  idea  of  being  able  to 
help  in  developing  the  resources  of  a  country,  to  raise  it 
from  prostration,  and  to  lighten  its  darkness,  so  that  finally 
it  may  attain  a  position  similar  to  that  which  is  occupied 
by  ourselves.  But  I  fancy  that  much  of  the  fascination 
which  clings  to  the  story  of  mystery-enshrouded  Africa 
is  due  to  the  power  of  the  narratives  related  by  its  older 
explorers. 

Personally,  I  know  that  by  some  influence  of  this  kind, 
inscrutable  perhaps,  my  fancy  in  the  days  of  early  boyhood 
was  fired  with  the  thought  that  at  some  time  or  another  I 
would  wander  over  virgin  soil  on  the  dark  continent. 

It  was  a  dream — I  had  almost  said  the  dream — of  my 
youth,  but  years  elapsed  before  the  dream  became  a  real 
life  experience.  In  the  interval  it  was  my  fortune  to  visit 
a  good  many  lands,  some  of  them  savage  even  in  civili- 
sation, but  I  never  lost  sight  of  the  early  African  vision. 
At  length  the  long  cherished  wish  was  gratified,  and  my 
journey  through  the  mysterious  region  has  become  a  thing 
of  the  past. 

And  now  I  find  myself  asking  the  reader  to  accompany 
me  along  the  line  of  my  travels.     I  am  to  begin  at  once. 


LOVELY  MADEIRA. 


telling  the  story  in  the  good  old  fashion  by  noting  the 
wonders  that  I  saw  and  heard. 

It  was  a  bitterly  cold  December  morning,  in  1883,  when 
I  boarded  the  Drummond  Castle  moored  at  Dartmouth,  and 
a  few  hours  later  I  had  my  last  glimpse  of  the  lessening 
shores  of  old  England. 

At  lovely  Madeira — the  pearl  of  the  Atlantic — a  short 
stay  impresses  every  traveller  with  its  vivid  and  picturesque 
scenes.  Who  does  not  remember  the  featherless  divers  who 
perform  as  a  wonderful  feat,  and  with  the  greatest  gusto, 
the  operation  which  was  dreaded  by  ancient  mariners  as 
"  keel-hauling "  ?  Can  the  visitor  forget  the  commercial 
gentlemen  of  acute  instincts  who  sell  the  genuine  articles — 
not  those  manufactured  by  the  gross  in  Birmingham  or 
Lisbon — but  the  real  gold  ring  from  Cape  Coast  Castle,  on 
which  the  signs  of  the  Zodiac,  so  well  known  to  every 
traveller,  are  not  struck  by  a  vulgar  modern  die,  but 
engraved  by  the  neat-fingered  black  man  of  the  Gold  Coast  ? 
It  is  curious  to  see  these  charming  evidences  of  the  gentle 
art  and  scientific  knowledge  of  the  subtle  savage. 

Two  facts  about  Madeira  may  be  mentioned.  These  I 
learned  from  trustworthy  sources.  It  appears  that  the  chief 
industry,  which  of  course  is  wine-making,  is  on  the  wane. 
Recently  the  vines  had  been  attacked  by  phylloxera  in 
an  irresistible  manner.  The  attacks  seem  to  have  begun 
in  1872,  in  which  year  over  10,000  pipes  of  wine  were  made. 
The  produce  of  the  year's  vintage  when  I  passed  the  place, 
in  1883,  it  was  said  on  good  authority  would  not  exceed 
1,000  pipes.  The  wine  merchants,  however,  of  the  town 
have  a  very  large — should  I  say  inexhaustible  ? — stock  of 
"Madeira"  in  their  cellars,  and  by  judicious  "blending" 
or  "  mixing "  (very  mild  terms  ! )  there  will  be  enough 
of  the  old-fashioned  wine  to  supply  the  world  even  if  the 

B  2 


TEE  FAR  INTERIOR. 


island  vines  did  not  produce  a  solitary  grape.  This  result 
is  one  of  the  triumphs  of  the  arts  of  advanced  civilisation. 
What  a  blessing  it  is  that  we  have  so  many  ways  and  means 
of  defeating  the  shortcomings  of  nature ! 

The  bulk  of  the  sugar  crop  is  exported  to  Lisbon,  where 
it  finds  a  ready  market  free  of  duty. 

The  idea  that  Madeira  possesses  an  admirable  climate  for 
affections  of  the  chest  has  exploded  since  the  experiment 
was  made  of  sending  out  a  number  of  patients  in  different 
stages  of  consumption  from  one  of  the  London  hospitals. 
The  result  proved  that  the  advantages  of  the  place  were  not 
equal  to  those  of  other  health  resorts  nearer  home,  which 
were  atmospherically  much  less  humid,  and  consequently 
more  conducive  to  the  cure,  or  partial  cure,  of  lung  com- 
plaints. 

We  steamed  away  from  Madeira,  and  shortly  touched 
at  St.  Helena,  which  I  would  call  the  cabbage  garden  of 
the  Atlantic,  were  it  not  almost  profane  to  speak  harshly  of 
a  spot  which  holds  so  prominent  and  hallowed  a  place  in 
the  world's  eventful  history.  A  detachment  of  the  58th 
Foot  was  quartered  here  at  the  time. 

"  How  glad  I  am  that  this  is  the  last  day  on  board  ship ! " 
was  my  mental  exclamation  when  we  were  thinning  the  end 
of  our  voyage. 

Soon  I  found  myself  in  Cape  Town,  walking  under  the 
shade  of  Table  Mountain.  What  a  satisfaction  it  was  to 
think  that  at  last  I  had  actually  arrived  in  Africa — the  land 
of  so  many  early  visions  of  adventure  !  But  then  there  was 
little  of  the  charm  of  romance  in  the  proceedings,  although 
a  thousand  thoughts  ran  through  my  mind  relating  to  what 
I  should  do,  and  how  I  should  do  it. 

What  information  could  be  gathered  was  a  first  considera- 
tion.    Therefore  I  would  telegraph  to  the   farthest  point 


TELEORAPHINQ    TO    THE  INTERIOR. 


reached  by  the  sensitive  wire,  and  draw  interior  news  from 
the  distant  dwellers  in  the  land  of  sparkling  gems. 

An  answer  came,  flashed  back  over  the  dry  karroo : 
"  Hunters  expected  out  shortly.  Waggon  and  oxen  reason- 
able." Again  I  tried,  and  from  another  source  got  the 
quick  reply :  "  Hunters  not  expected  out  for  some  time." 
This  was  awkward.  Yet  another  effort  must  be  made,  but 
this  time  I  would  be  patient,  for  I  would  have  to  tap  a  more 
distant  source. 

Suddenly  it  occurred  to  me,  "  Where  is  Selous,  the  great 
hunter  and  traveller,  whose  admirable  book  '  A  Hunter's 
Wanderings  in  Africa '  had  pleasantly  wiled  away  my  leisure 
hours  when  on  the  shores  of  the  great  Pacific  near  the 
Golden  Gate  ?  I  must  find  him,  for  no  better  counsellor 
could  guide  early  steps  into  this  land  of  mystery.  Ho 
alone,  in  the  meantime,  will  be  the  object  of  my  search." 
Another  touch  of  the  electric  key,  and  a  message  was  in  the 
stage  coach  office  at  the  Diamond  Fields,  with  instructions 
that  it  should  be  forwarded  to  Klerksdorp,  the  principal 
trading  and  equipping  station  for  traders  north  of  the  Vaal 
river.     This  was  done,  and  I  awaited  results. 

Going  to  the  telegraph  office  I  found  the  following 
message  from  Mr.  James  Leask,  merchant  at  Klerksdorp,  in 
the  Transvaal  Kepublic :  "  Drought  raging  in  interior. 
Hunters  cannot  get  out.     Will  be  out  on  first  rains." 

An  introductory  letter  to  Colonel  Montgomery,  on  the 
staff  of  General  Sir  Leicester  Smyth,  commanding  the  forces 
in  South  Africa,  placed  me  in  good  hands.  In  a  little  time 
I  found  myself  luxuriating  in  the  groves  and  glades  of 
lovely  Wynberg,  cheered  by  the  most  delightful  society 
that  one  could  possibly  desire  to  meet.  Pleasant  recollec- 
tions crowd  thickly  as  I  write,  but  they  have  an  individual 
charm  which  cannot  be  transferred  to  the  reader ;  althougli 


THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 


I  almost  wish  I  could  mention  the  names  of  those — and 
they  were  not  a  few — who  showered  so  much  kindness 
upon  me. 

Wynberg,  with  its  picturesque  surroundings  of  mountain, 
forest,  and  sea,  is  truly  the  garden  of  Cape  Colony.  But  I 
must  say  farewell  to  the  place,  cherishing  its  ever  happy 
memories  of  hospitable  friends  and  their  enchanting  com- 
panionship, the  kindly  influence  of  which  can  never  be 
forgotten. 

I  made  inquiries  at  the  most  reliable  quarters  as  to  the 
probabilities  of  my  success  in  accomplishing  a  journey  alone 
overland  to  Central  Africa.  I  did  not  get  much  encourage- 
ment.    The  arguments  against  the  proposal  were  many. 

"  What  will  you  do  about  the  language  ?  "  said  one. 

"  What  will  you  do  about  the  fever  ?  "  inquired  another. 
"  If  it  catches  you  when  you  are  alone,  it  will  soon  stop  the 
expedition." 

"  You  can't  pass  the  Diamond  Fields,"  remarked  a  third, 
"for  the  small-pox  is  raging  there." 

And  so  the  objections  arose  ad  libitum.  What  was  I  to 
do  ?  Stop  in  unapproachable  Cape  Town,  and  inhale  the 
ungenerous  winds  of  the  south-eastern  Atlantic  ?  For  the 
contrast,  it  must  be  remembered,  between  Cape  Town  and 
lovely  Wynberg  is  remarkable.  The  mountain  stands 
between  them,  and  while  the  Cape  Town  side  has  a  barren 
exposure  to  the  merciless  south-east  "  trades,"  which  I 
had  the  misfortune  to  encounter  once  or  twice  during  my 
stay,  Wynberg's  sequestered  position  is  delightful  in  its 
shelter. 

By  the  way,  one  man  said,  "  Don't  go  to  Port  Elizabeth ; 
it  is  by  long  odds  the  worst  ash  heap  of  the  diamond  cities 
of  the  south." 

Was  I  blind  to  beauty,  or  indifferent  to  enchantment  ? 


MAP  STUDIES. 


Was  I  in  the  oasis  of  Africa,  or  in  its  sterile  Sahara?  The 
words  of  men — Cape  Town  men — declared  for  the  oasis,  my 
experience  for  the  Sahara. 

I  stand  in  the  middle  of  Aderley  Street,  in  front  of  the 
Standard  Bank,  The  sand  in  circling  storms  \vru})s  me  iu 
its  gritty  embrace.  Where  am  I  ?  In  the  Sahara,  surely. 
And  yet  this  cannot  be,  for  through  tlie  blinding  whirl  I 
stretch  forth  my  hand,  and  feel  a  rounded  form  of  solid 
stone,  fashioned  unmistakably  by  the  hand  of  man.  What 
is  it?  Moving  curiously  forward  towards  the  object,  I  find 
myself  hugging  a  pillar,  beside  which  I  soon  gain  shelter 
from  the  searching  sand,  driven  so  mercilessly  by  the  piti- 
less south-easter.  After  rubbing  my  eyes  to  clear  them  from 
the  grit,  I  perceive  that  I  am  in  the  portico  of  the  aireiiey 
office  for  steamers.  Happy  thought !  I  will  make  inquiries 
about  the  departures  for  Port  Elizabeth.  I  find  that  the 
earliest  steamer  will  start  in  a  day  or  two. 

Most  of  the  time  was  now  occupied  in  studying  maps. 
These  I  could  see  were  far  from  being  perfect,  liiver 
courses  especially  were  inaccurately  defined  ;  so,  at  least,  I 
Judged  from  their  manifold  variations.  Few  names  marked 
the  lands  that  lay  to  the  far  north-east  between  ]\Iatabeli- 
land  and  Lake  Nyassa.  It  would  be  my  aim  to  fill  up, 
however  slightly,  some  of  these  imperfections,  and  thus 
contribute  something  toward  the  geographical  description 
of  little  known  lands,  should  I  be  able  to  carry  out  the 
journey  which  I  had  purposed  to  do. 

Hesitation  soon  vanished,  and  ultimately  I  determined 
to  make  the  attempt  to  reach  the  lake  regions  of  Central 
Africa  overland  by  a  northward  course,  and  thence  to  pro- 
ceed towards  the  Indian  Ocean. 

Dr.  Holub,  the  eminent  naturalist,  was  in  Cape  Town 
equipping  an   expedition  which  seemed  to   me,  from  the 


8  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

extraordinary  array  of  paraphernalia,  to  be  of  gigantic 
importance.     Dr.  Holub  strongly  encouraged  my  plan. 

As  it  was  necessary  to  procure  a  few  instruments  I  re- 
quired, some  days  were  occupied  in  going  through  the  shops 
of  the  opticians;  and  although  my  expedition  was  to  be 
carried  out  on  the  black-bag  quantity,  the  articles  of 
this  description  which  I  wanted  were  bound  to  be  of  the 
best  quality  and  the  highest  accuracy.  After  searching 
the  highways  and  byways  of  Cape  Town,  I  succeeded  in 
getting  a  good  sextant  and  other  instruments,  and  hastened 
to  the  Koyal  Observatory,  where  Dr.  Grill  and  Mr.  Findlay 
(of  comet  fame)  gave  me  much  information,  so  that  ere 
many  days  had  passed  the  first  and  most  important  part  of 
the  geographical  and  astronomical  outfit  was  complete. 

South-easters  blew  great  guns,  while  dense,  almost  solid, 
clouds  of  sand  swept  over  Cape  Town  on  the  day  of 
departure.  The  place  was  at  its  worst.  The  "  oldest  in- 
habitant "  had  never  seen  the  like  before.  Table  Bay  was 
seething  with  white  caps.  The  steamer  Danube  lay  in  the 
harbour,  ready  for  departure  that  afternoon,  and  in  her  I 
found  my  way  to  Port  Elizabeth.  The  Danube  had  a 
notoriety  for  unsteady  habits,  and  on  this  occasion  her  pro- 
clivities were  painfully  manifested. 

I  gladly  left  the  atmosphere  of  storm  pans  and  spittoons 
and  scrambled  to  the  slippery  pier  at  Port  Elizabeth  like  a 
shipwrecked  mariner.  Landing  at  this  modern  haven 
during  a  south-easterly  gale  demands  agility  of  no  common 
order,  although,  of  course,  there  is  every  modern  convenience 
for  passengers !  The  human  cargo  is  handled  as  gently  as 
is  possible  with  the  means  at  the  disposal  of  the  wharf 
masters.  But  for  the  information  of  passengers  disem- 
barking at  this  port,  I  may  say  that  by  binding  themselves 
with  a  pair  of  rug  straps  they  will  have  a  better  chance  of 


A    TREMENDOUS  EXPLOSION.  9 


landing  in  safety  than  by  trusting  to  the  honesty  of  their 
tailors,  or  the  firmness  of  their  feet.  If  they  depend  too 
much  upon  these  they  will  assuredly  reach  terra  jirma  in 
the  attitude  of  their  ancestors  in  the  foiu'-footed  life  spoken 
of  in  science  genealogy. 

When  I  called  at  the  telegraph  office  I  found  a  message 
informing  me  that  hunters  were  "  arriving  out."  The  first 
rains  had  fallen,  and  the  time  was  propitious  for  making  a 
start  for  the  interior.  There  would  now  be  plenty  of  grass, 
as  the  lands  had  been  freshened  by  the  rains.  Among 
these  hunters  I  hoped  Mr.  Selous  would  be  found. 

Looking  into  a  Port  Elizabeth  paper,  I  read  of  the 
tremendous  explosion  which  had  just  taken  place  at  the 
Diamond  Fields.  Its  effect  must  have  been  prodigious, 
for  no  less  than  33  tons  of  dynamite,  7  tons  of  loose  powder, 
a  quantity  of  paraffin,  and  200,000  cartridges,  were  blown 
up. 

From  Major  Deare,  of  the  Colonial  forces,  I  got  every 
assistance,  and  among  other  attentions,  he  kindly  showed 
me  the  lions  of  the  town.  I  cannot  enter  upon  a  regular 
guide-book  description ;  but  I  may  say  that  Port  Elizabeth 
is  an  active  and  thriving  town,  showing  a  wonderful  amount 
of  life  in  the  sixty-third  year  of  its  age — that  was  in  1883. 
The  buildings  are  exceedingly  handsome,  and  an  especial 
feature  is  the  new  feather,  ivory,  and  general  produce 
market,  which  is  a  spacious  as  well  as  a  fine  building. 
The  churches  are  elegantly  built.  There  is  a  commodious 
and  comfortable  club ;  and,  as  a  rule,  the  hotel  accommoda- 
tion and  attention  are  unusually  good.  The  place  is  healthy, 
but  exposed  to  violent  and  piercing  winds. 

We  must  not,  however,  linger  amid  the  scenes  of  civiliza- 
tion. We  must  be  up  and  away  to  the  north,  the  region  to 
which  the  tremulous  needle  directs  a  course.     Should  the 


10  THE  FAR   INTERIOB. 

reader  follow,  we  shall  soou  be  roving  free  and  unfettered 
over  unbeaten  tracks  upon  the  virgin  soil  of  rarely  visited 
lands. 

From  the  steamer  we  pass  to  the  railway ;  from  the  rail- 
way to  the  post-cart ;  from  the  post-cart  to  the  primitive 
ox-waggon.  Then  ho  !  for  the  north,  on  foot  if  need  be,  to 
the  land  of  the  honey  bird,  and  the  heart  of  the  hunter's 
home !  On  to  the  Zambesi !  We  will  wander  through  the 
umbrageous  aisles  of  the  primeval  forest :  we  will  roam  over 
the  vastness  of  the  great  plateau  :  we  will  saunter  on  the 
golden  sands  of  Nyassa's  lovely  sea  ! 

I  had  bidden  a  long  adieu  to  the  ocean  and  the  trembling 
little  Danube  which  had  brought  me  from  Cape  Town. 
Soon,  too,  the  railway  had  to  be  left  behind,  for  it  did  not 
take  long  to  reach  the  terminus  at  Colesberg. 

When  seated  at  the  table  of  the  Phoenix  Hotel  my  vis-a- 
vis was  a  gentleman  with  spectacles,  who  was  evidently  very 
anxious,  and,  like  some  others,  much  worried  by  a  feverish 
impatience  to  reach  "  the  Fields."  For  we  had  just  been 
too  late.     The  post-cart  had  started  shortly  before. 

"  Bad  luck  to  the  man  that  dhrove  it !  "  was  the  muttered 
remark  of  an  irate  Celt  from  Erin's  isle,  who  had  a  very 
wide  mouth  and  a  low,  receding  brow. 

It  was  soon  evident  that  the  city  of  Kopjies,  or,  properly 
speaking,  Colesberg,  was  not  a  sufficiently  attractive  place 
for  the  spectacled  gentleman.  He  was  very  energetic,  and 
conspicuously  a  man  of  business.  He  swallowed  his  bumper 
of  XXX,  and  then,  correcting  the  dose  with  a  cup  of  scald- 
ing coflfee,  adjusted  his  magnifiers  and  left  the  room,  his 
purpose  evidently  being  a  search  for  a  substitute  coach. 
Hastily  repairing  to  the  Post-cart  Office,  he  contracted  for 
a  Cape  cart,  something  like  a  curricle  with  four  horses. 
The  driver  had  orders  for  relays  of  horses  on  the  road. 


KIMBEELEY.  11 


Happy  thought  again  !  If  I  was  lucky  enough  to  be  first 
I  would  doubtless  be  acceptable  in  sharing  the  journey  and 
the  expenses.  No  sooner  thought  than  done ;  and  on  the 
next  morning  we  were  speeding  rapidly  on  our  way  over 
the  far  stretching  karroo. 

I  will  at  once  pass  over  the  145  miles  of  country  that 
lie  between  Colesberg  and  Kimberley  at  the  Diamond 
Fields.  We  crossed  the  iron  lattice  bridge  which  spans  the 
Orange  Eiver,  and  connects  the  state  with  the  colony. 
Moving  onward  then  through  the  Free  State  we  passed  the 
town  of  Fauresmith,  and  arrived  at  the  Queen's  Hotel, 
Kimberley,  on  the  evening  of  the  11th  of  February,  1884, 
the  journey  from  Colesberg  having  occupied  two  and  a-half 
days. 

The  Diamond  Fields  are  situated  at  an  elevation  of 
4,050  feet  above  the  sea.  The  surrounding  country  consists 
of  undulating  prairie  land,  covered  with  very  short  grass 
and  sad-looking  shrubs.  Before  the  rains  the  country  is 
about  as  bare  as  a  well-worn  macadamized  road.  At  that 
time  the  rains  had  only  fallen  once  in  twelve  months. 

Excepting  the  diamond  mines,  the  town  is  very  uninterest- 
ing, although  it  has  a  club  which  is  the  best  of  its  kind 
in  South  Africa.  Only  a  few  buildings  are  of  brick  or 
stone,  the  greater  number  being  made  of  corrugated  iron, 
one  storey  in  height,  so  that  when  a  full  view  of  the  town 
is  obtained,  it  is  apt  to  make  one  think  of  a  resemblance  to 
a  lot  of  tin  dog-kennels  enlarged  a  few  diameters. 

Mining  here,  as  is  well  known,  dates  from  the  first  rush 
to  the  fields  in  1870.  Speculation  of  the  wildest  description 
was  rife  in  the  early  days — almost  as  bad  as  it  was  in 
California  in  74  and  75 — but  when  I  passed  through  the 
place  the  people  were  labouring  under  a  depression  as  deep 
as  their  excitement  had  been  high  in  more  prosperous  tioies. 


12  THE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

Big  companies  had  gone  out  of  existence,  and  everybody 
spoke  of  hard  times. 

The  principal  diamond  mines  worked  are  the  Kimberley, 
the  De  Beers,  Du  Toit's  Pan,  and  Bultfontein.* 

The  Kimberley  Mine  is  a  huge  quarry  situate  in  the 
town.  It  is  about  500  feet  in  depth,  measured  by  plumb 
line  to  the  centre.  The  mine  was  being  worked  by  five 
different  companies. 

The  mode  of  excavating  was  a  simple  system  of  quarrying 
and  blasting,  for  which  dynamite  was  used,  the  explosions 
taking  place  at  mid-day  and  midnight  respectively.  The 
richness  of  the  diamond  treasure  that  has  been  taken 
from  the  crater  is  fabulous.  Statistics  say  that  from  two 
to  three  millions  of  pounds  sterling  per  annum  have  repre- 
sented the  aggregate  value  of  the  output  of  the  mines. 

Prospect  channels  and  shafts  seemed  to  be  run,  but  to  a 
very  trifling  extent.  The  excavations  are  sent  up  on  steel 
wire  rope  "roads,"  the  various  companies  having  their 
respective  hoisting  works  leading  from  the  depths  of  the 
gradually  lessening  area  of  the  basin.  Two  heavy  wire 
ropes  form  the  "  roads."  They  run  parallel,  and  are 
stretched  tightly  from  the  pit  head  through  the  air  and 
down  to  an  anchorage  at  the  bottom  of  the  mine.  These 
ropes  are  the  rails,  so  to  speak,  on  which  run  the  flanged 
wheels  of  the  skip  or  cage.  This  system  of  hoisting  is 
quite  unique,  and  very  eifective  for  the  class  of  work 
carried  on  at  the  diamond  mines. 

The  soft  blue  rock  in  which  the  gems  are  found  decom- 

*  A  Standard  (23rd  April,  1886)  correspondent,  writing  from  Kim- 
berley, gives  the  following  statistics : — 

Assessed  Value  of  Mines. — Kimberley,  £2,805,635  ;  De  Beers,  £934,737 ; 
Du  Toit's  Pan,  £1,283,591 ;  Bultfontein,  £682,266. 

Value  of  Diamonds  exported  from  Kimberley. — 1883,  £2,742,521 ; 
1884,  £2,807,288  ;  1885,  £2,492,755. 


DIAMOND   MINING.  13 

poses  under  atmospheric  and  aqueous  action.  It  is  taken 
from  the  mine  and  spread  over  large  spaces  covering 
acres  of  land,  where  it  is  left  exposed  to  the  sun,  while  it  is 
wetted  at  intervals  by  means  of  a  hose,  and  broken  by  large 
hammers.  This  process  of  disintegration  goes  on  f<  ^r  about 
two  months,  when  the  jewelled  earth  is  taken  to  the  mill. 

An  exceedingly  simple  and  unscientific  contrivance  is 
this  mill.  The  blue  gravel  first  passes  through  a  tapered 
cylindrical  sieve,  revolving  in  a  horizontal  position.  It  is 
thrown  in  at  the  small  end  of  the  sieve,  and  after  its  course 
along  the  inclined  plane  the  refuse  is  thrown  out  at  the 
other  end.  The  stuff  which  fiills  through  the  meshes  is 
conducted  by  a  sluice  into  a  sort  of  settler,  consisting  of  a 
big  tub  about  ten  feet  in  diameter  having  a  vertical  central 
driving  shaft,  about  which  revolve  four  arms  fitted  with  long 
teeth,  which  reach  close  to  the  bottom  of  the  settler.  This 
keeps  the  pulp  constantly  agitated,  and,  with  the  regular 
stream  of  water  which  is  kept  flowing,  the  waste  and  light 
sands  are  carried  through  an  overflow  on  the  inner  edge  of 
the  settler.  The  refuse  is  akin  to  "  tailings "  in  gold 
mining.  Diamond  tailings,  I  understand,  are  not  worth 
much.  The  tailings  flow  directly  into  a  small  well,  where 
a  dredger,  or  bucket  pump,  lifts  them  to  an  elevation  of 
about  fifteen  feet.  From  that  elevation  the  trucks  deposit 
them  in  all  directions,  so  that  they  form  a  large  sand 
bank. 

The  sands,  or  gravel  rather,  which  are  taken  from  the 
bottom  of  this  tub  or  settler  are  passed  over  four  wire 
screens  of  different-sized  meshes,  the  last  being  very  fine. 
All  the  gravel  is  then  placed  on  iron-faced  tables.  By 
means  of  a  kind  of  steel  trowel  it  is  sorted,  and  the  diamonds 
picked  out.  The  sand  last  screened,  which  is  the  very 
finest,  is  dried  in  the  sun,  and  given  to  the  Kaffirs  to  sort ; 


14  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

they  being  the  best  hands  at  picking  out  the  smallest 
diamonds.  These  diamonds  are  sold  to  the  licensed  dia- 
mond buyers  in  the  Kimberley  market,  and  in  this  way  the 
companies  can  immediately  realise.  It  is  said  that  there 
have  been  thirty  or  forty  million  pounds'  worth  of  diamonds 
exported  from  the  Cape  during  the  last  fourteen  years. 

The  systems  adopted  in  the  working  of  these  craters  or 
gigantic  deposits  of  blue  gravel  may  have  been  very  effec- 
tive heretofore ;  but  now  the  mines  are  attaining  a  depth 
that  threatens  to  bring  all  such  methods  forcibly  to  an 
end ;  for  the  good  reason  that  the  shale  which  forms  the 
surrounding  walls  of  this  basin  is  beginning  to  cave,  and 
will  naturally  continue  to  do  so  until  it  finds  its  angle  of 
repose,  and  of  course  it  stands  to  reason  that  as  they  go 
deeper  the  area  at  the  bottom  will  proportionately  decrease, 
until  it  has  run  to  nothing. 

The  hoisting  engines  in  use  were  inadequate  to  cope 
with  the  vast  volumes  of  floating  reef  gradually  but  surely 
coming  down  the  deep  abyss.  Already  there  has  been 
spent  jointly  by  the  companies  £1,400,000  for  the  extrac- 
tion of  the  falling  reef.  I  am  afraid  that  the  day  is  not  far 
distant  when  many  a  poor  fellow  will  be  prematurely  buried 
under  the  inevitable  fall  of  reef  that  must  result  from  such 
an  unavoidable  mode  of  mining. 

Naturally  the  question  arises.  What  is  to  be  done  in  order 
that  the  jewels  may  be  got  out  remuneratively  ?  There 
were  many  plans  advanced  for  underground  workings ;  but  I 
did  not  find  a  single  man  there  who  understood  underground 
work  as  it  is  carried  on  in  gold  and  silver  mines.  In  any 
case,  the  days  of  the  present  system  are  numbered.  The 
people  may  go  on  until  they  are  compelled  to  try  another 
plan.  Of  course  another  system  could  only  be  practicable 
through   the  companies  amalgamating,  each    mine   being 


A    CONTESTED   ELECTION.  15 

worked  under  undivided  control.  The  scarcity  of  timber 
is  a  great  drawback  to  underground  working. 

Various  restrictions  on  diamond  dealing  exist.  No  one 
is  allowed  to  buy  a  diamond  without  first  obtaining  a  license, 
and  only  licensed  dealers,  or  brokers,  can  sell  thorn,  although 
in  spite  of  the  vigilance  of  the  detective  department  a  great 
deal  of  illicit  diamond  buying  is  successfully  carried  on ; 
hence  the  well-known  symbols  "ID  B,"  which  refers  to  the 
illegal  trade.  Men  coming  out  of  the  mine  have  "  changing 
houses,"  and  they  are  searched  before  leaving  work.  The 
latter  ordeal,  I  was  told,  was  one  of  the  grievances  of  the 
white  people.  They  say  it  is  degrading  to  a  white  man  to 
be  searched. 

The  Kaffirs  are  very  good  workers.  I  made  a  foreman 
"  white  "  admit  that  they  were  far  superior  to  the  men  of 
his  own  kind  in  every  particular,  and  there  was  no  trouble 
with  them. 

"  But  you  must  watch  them,"  said  he. 

"  Did  you  ever  see  any  class  of  workers,  either  white  or 
black,  that  did  not  require  watching  ?  " 

I  think  for  the  especial  class  of  work  the  Kaffirs  are  very 
well  adapted.  I  saw  many  pretty  diamonds  taken  from  the 
mine.  One  morning,  soon  after  we  had  ascended  in  the 
cage,  at  De  Beer's  mine,  a  cave  or  slip  occurred,  burying 
three  men. 

An  election  excitement  bustled  the  place  during  my 
stay.  Kimberley  returns  three  members  to  the  parliament 
of  the  Cape.  I  spent  the  evening  with  a  gentleman  who 
was  one  of  the  successful  candidates.  His  wife  appeared 
to  be  much  elated  at  her  husband's  success  in  being  elevated 
to  the  position  of  a  representative  man. 

One  of  the  most  amusing  features  of  the  election  was  the 
candidature  of  an  unsuccessful  champion  of  the  "  people's 


16  THE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

rights."  His  attempts  to  address  the  meetings  were  rudely- 
stopped  by  showers  of  missiles  as  unsavoury  as  those  which 
are  even  yet  conspicuously  familiar  at  similar  scenes  in  the 
old  country.  Eight  votes,  in  the  long  run,  supported  this 
candidate,  who  then  abruptly  left  the  town ;  so  that  the 
place  that  knew  him,  knew  him  no  more. 

Now  we  are  to  leave  this  feverish  region,  where  the  throb 
of  labour  and  the  nervous  pulse  of  speculation  are  the  signs 
of  restless  vitality;  where  the  precious  gems  dazzle  the 
eyes  of  those  who  in  hot  haste  pursue  the  road  to  fortune ; 
and  where  both  by  day  and  night  the  heavy  roar  of  blasting 
is  heard  rudely  crashing  above  the  hum  of  countless  wheels. 
We  are  on  to  the  home  of  the  black  man !  There  we  will 
find  charm  in  novelty,  and  in  absolute  freedom  from  the 
endless  worship  of  the  golden  calf. 

But  first  I  must  not  forget  that  I  am  in  search  of  Mr. 
Selous.  Where  is  the  hunter  to  be  found  ?  I  must  secure 
my  place  for  the  journey,  and  in  the  land  of  the  Boers  will 
soon  discover  what  men  and  what  news  have  come  from  the 
teeming  hunting-grounds  of  the  "  Far  Interior." 


(     17     ) 


CHAPTER.  II. 

THKOUGH   THE    NEW   PROTECTORATE. 

Nearing  a  station — Klerksdorp — Unexpected  meeting  with  Selous — His 
opinions  of  my  project — The  humours  of  Lo-bengula — The  danger  of 
shooting  "sea-cow" — Hunters  in  trouble — Gold-seeking  Americans — 
Equipping  for  the  veldt — Kimberley  again — "  Cape  Smoke  " — Coach 
passengers  —  Starting  for  the  veldt  —  Uncertainty  of  the  future — 
Lichtenberg  —  Absence  of  hard  cash  —  Odd  trading — Jacobsdaal — 
Zeerust — Boer  troubles — Small-pox  and  fumigation — A  hasty  departure 
— Liookana  iu  Bechuana-land — Kaffir  taxes — Linokana  attacked  by  the 
Boers — Hermansberg  Missionary  Society — Moghose's  station — ^Measures 
for  the  prevention  of  small-pox — Excessive  power  of  a  landdrost  or 
chief  magistrate — Keligious  zeal  of  the  Boers — King  Secheli — Dilapi- 
dated royalty — Hunting  memories — "  Camels,  by  Jove  ! " — Khama's 
Town  —  Shoshonj^  or  Bamangwato  —  Another  "Lord  of  Boundless 
Dominions" — An  awkward  squad — Trade  of  Shoshong — Dread  of 
Matabeli — Giraffe  hunting — War  preparations — Khama's  wife — Little 
Kanyemba — A  queer  medicine  chest — A  worthless  land — Irrigation 
impossible — The  Shashi  river — Matabeli-land. 

Vigorous  blasts  from  the  small  horn  carried  by  the  driver 
of  the  coach  told  that  we  were  nearing  a  station.  Our 
coach  in  every  way  resembled  the  typical  yankee  cee-spring 
stage  of  the  west.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  was  an  imported 
article  of  American  manufacture.  The  station  we  arrived 
at  was  Klerksdorp,  a  small  but  comely  town,  the  jolting 
journey  to  which  had  occupied  two  and  a-half  days  and 
nights.  The  town,  as  I  have  remarked,  is  the  principal 
trading  station  north  of  the  Vaal. 

Seeing  in  large  letters  the  name  of  Leask,  I  thought 
that  the  owner  must  be  the  same  who  had  telegraphed  to 
me  at  Cape  Town.     Mr.  Leask's  stores  formed  the  largest 

VOL.  I.  c 


18  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

building  in  the  place,  and  he  is  the  biggest  merchant  in 
the  Southern  Transvaal. 

A  hospitable  reception  was  given  me  here,  and  I  soon 
discovered  that  Mr.  Leask  was  a  countryman  of  mine  who 
had  gone  out  early,  and  spent  his  younger  days  in  elephant 
hunting  in  the  interior.  Our  conversation  naturally  led  to 
the  question  what  brought  me  there  with  nothing  but  an 
insignificant  handbag.  This  I  explained  in  a  few  words. 
The  journey  I  was  about  to  take  was  a  long  one,  and  I 
hoped  to  augment  my  baggage  to  some  extent.  I  had  yet 
to  fetch  a  few  more  things  from  Kimberley,  which  would  be 
done  as  soon  as  I  was  able  to  get  the  information  I  wanted, 
and  had  made  the  necessary  arrangements  for  progress. 
Now  I  was  entirely  away  from  railways  and  even  post-carts. 

I  told  Mr.  Leask  that  I  thought  my  scheme  was,  in 
theory,  good ;  but  first  of  all  I  desired  to  find  a  gentleman 
named  Selous,  whom  I  hoped  to  see  among  the  hunters  who 
would  arrive  out  soon. 

"  My  dear  sir,"  was  Mr.  Leask's  immediate  reply,  "  Mr. 
Selous  is  in  my  house  at  this  very  moment.  Look,  there 
are  his  waggons !  He  arrived  out  last  night  with  two 
waggon-loads  of  ivory,  hides  and  horns,  and  a  lot  of  other 
hunting  trophies." 

This  was  indeed  fortunate  !  The  path  might  become 
smoother. 

When  I  told  the  great  hunter  and  traveller  of  my  project 
to  reach  the  Zambesi  by  a  north-easterly  route,  as  yet 
unexplored,  he  courteously  offered  me  all  the  information 
which  his  experience  suggested — an  invaluable  advantage 
to  me  then.  Mr.  Selous  also  said  that  as  soon  as  he  could 
load  up  his  waggons  with  the  requisite  articles  for  trade 
and  exchange,  he  would  again  be  en  route  for  the  hunting- 
grounds  which  lay  two  months'  travel  to  the  north. 


HUNTERS  IN   TROUBLE.  19 


We  then  and  there  arranged  that  I  should  take  a  cart 
and  six  oxen,  if  they  could  be  got  ready  in  time,  and 
accompany  him  as  far  as  Matabeli-land. 

He  thought  that  the  chief  opponent  to  my  scheme  of 
exploration  towards  the  far  north-east  of  jMatabcli-land 
would  be  the  powerful  despot  Lo-bengula,  the  defiant  ruler 
of  the  country,  whose  name  since  my  return  to  England 
has  been  more  than  once  before  the  public  in  connection 
with  the  "  deafening  inanity  "  of  South  African  politics. 
Lo-ben,  as  he  is  familiarly  called,  would  be  suspicious  if  ho 
heard  of  a  white  man  wishing  to  go  through  his  country 
without  asking  permission  to  hunt  for  ivory  or  search  for 
gold. 

"  Then,"  continued  Mr.  Selous,  "  there  has  been  a  good 
deal  of  trouble  lately.  The  old  man  was  in  a  very  bad 
humour  when  I  left.  Some  Hottentot  hunters  and  one  or 
two  Boers  had  been  shooting  sea-cows  (hippopotamus), 
which  is  contrary  to  the  stipulation  or  agreement  made 
by  those  who  obtain  permission  to  hunt.  When  the  hunters 
came  out  to  the  king's  kraal  there  was  great  excitement 
among  the  Matabeli  people.  Like  the  Zulus,  they  believe 
that  the  spirits  of  their  ancestors  dwell  in  the  uncouth 
bodies  of  the  amphibious  hippo  and  crocodile. 

"The  result  of  the  turmoil  was  that  all  the  hunters 
were  called  to  a  great  trial  before  the  king,  where  they 
had  to  sit  on  the  ground  for  whole  days  at  a  stretch  while 
the  case  was  being  heard,  their  position  being  made  more 
trying  by  the  surroundings  of  a  crowd  of  people  who 
thirsted  for  their  blood.  This  craving  would  have  been 
satiated  had  it  not  been  for  the  strong  will  of  old  Lo-ben. 
As  it  was  the  hunters  were  insulted,  scoffed  and  jeered  at. 

"  The  verdict  was  that  for  each  offence  a  heavy  fine  was 
demanded  from  every  deftiulter.     Some  of  the  hunters  who 

c  2 


20  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

had  not  even  seen  a  sea-cow  had  to  pay  pretty  heavily  for 
the  misbehaviour  of  their  Hottentot  subordinates ;  for  in 
Matabeli-hxnd  the  master  must  pay  for  the  shortcomings 
and  offences  committed  by  his  employes." 

Some  time  previously  a  few  Americans  had  asked  per- 
mission to  go  through  Lo-ben's  country,  saying  that  they 
did  not  wish  to  search  for  gold,  which  in  truth  was  their 
object.  Watched  by  some  of  the  young  warriors,  they  were 
caught  jlagrante  delicto  and  brought  back  before  the  king, 
who  summarily  dispatched  them  out  of  his  country  to  the 
south. 

I  found  it  was  by  no  means  easy  rapidly  to  complete  an 
equipment  here.  The  time  required  for  fitting  out  a 
waggon  and  oxen  would  be  considerable,  and  delay  might 
endanger  the  chance  of  reaching  the  Zambesi  before  the 
rains  set  in,  that  was  to  say  about  October.  Here  Mr. 
Selous  assisted  me  greatly  by  offering  a  berth  in  his 
waggon. 

By  the  return  coach  from  Pretoria  I  was  soon  back  at 
Kimberley  to  fetch  the  rifles  and  baggage.  Here  also, 
remembering  the  probability  of  geographical  notes,  I  cor- 
rected the  time  by  telegraph  from  the  Observatory  at  Cape 
Town ;  Kimberley  being  the  last  point  for  telegraphic  com- 
munication. 

Again  I  was  upon  the  old  coach  bound  for  Klerksdorp. 
Numbers  of  genial  friends  came  to  see  me  off  Once 
on  the  road  the  driver,  who  fancied  himself  considerably, 
started  off  in  magnificent  style,  he  being  well  primed  with 
"Cape  Smoke."  Looking  behind  I  could  see  in  the 
dwindling  distance  the  agent,  who  was  shouting  aloud  and 
waving  his  arms  in  a  most  frantic  fashion.  We,  or  he,  had 
evidently  forgotten  something.  But  the  driver  was  deaf ; 
and  even  to  my  attentive  ears  the  shouts  soon  died  away  as 


EQUIPPING   FOR    THE    VELDT.  21 


we  whirled  swiftly  over  the  swelling  ground,  tlie  ro})()rts  of 
our  Jehu's  whip  ringing  out  like  the  sound  of  a  live  bunch 
of  crackers. 

Inside  the  coach  a  strong  distillery-like  odour  pervaded 
the  atmosphere,  so  that  there  seemed  to  be  a  danger  that 
one  might  become  tipsy  without  tasting.  Of  course  we  had 
with  us  the  ubiquitous  passenger  who  takes  his  seat  with 
the  self-satisfied  assurance  that  he  has  paid  his  fare,  and 
that  he  has  rights  which  must  in  no  case  be  interfered  witli, 
and  therefore  he  resolutely  smokes  and  drinks,  while  he 
fights  for  the  coveted  half-inch  of  room  which  the  restless- 
ness of  his  troublesome  elbow  incites  him  to  dispute.  How 
frequently  do  these  eternal  nuisances  destroy  the  comfort 
of  the  sober  passenger  who  has  fewer  wants,  and  who  begins 
to  think  what  an  extraordinarily  constituted  beast  man  is, 
and  how  wonderfully  well  he  is  adapted  to  doing  many 
things  at  a  time  ! 

On  arriving  at  Klerksdorp  a  few  days  had  to  be  occupied 
by  loading  the  waggons  with  provisions  and  otlier  neces- 
sities, such  as  cloth,  beads,  and  so  forth,  for  the  purpose  of 
exchange. 

Then  we  were  ready  for  the  start.  We  had  sixteen  oxen 
yoked  to  each  waggon,  about  fifty  sheep,  dogs,  "  salted  " 
horses,*  cows  and  calves.  Our  human  supporters  com- 
prised a  few  black  savages  of  different  types.  Among  the 
others  was  a  Mashona  boy  whom  Selous  had  brought  fj-om 
his  distant  mountain  home,  and  who  was  destined  to  take 
a  prominent  place  in  the  course  of  my  future  travels.  This 
boy,  named  Karemba,  led  the  oxen  of  one  of  the  waggons, 
he  being  adorned  with  a  Boer  hat  and  a  coloured  shirt,  the 
only  evidences  of  civilisation  he  could  boast  of,  for  poor 

*  "Salted"  horses  are  those  which  have  passed  through  the  sickness 
which  is  so  prevalent  nortli  of  the  Vaal  river. 


22  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

Karemba  was  accustomed  to  go  naked.     Mr.  Selous  and 
myself  completed  the  typical  South  African  Caravan. 

What  a  fervour  of  fascination  there  was  in  the  feeling 
that  all  before  me  was  new  !  Where  was  the  journey  to  end  ? 
That  delightful  uncertainty  about  filling  the  blank  page  of 
the  future  awakened  in  my  mind  a  silent  rapture  that  would 
be  difficult  to  describe.  Incident  and  adventure  must  of 
necessity  arise  :  but  here,  at  last,  I  was  upon  the  threshold 
of  the  paradise  of  my  boyhood's  day-dreams :  now  I  was  to 
wander  through  the  scenes  of  the  mighty  and  mysterious 
continent ! 

It  was  on  the  morning  of  the  5th  of  ]\Iarch,  1884,  that  we 
bade  adieu  to  that  last  outpost  of  civilisation — Klerksdorp — 
and  bending  towards  to  the  north  passed  through  the 
great  waving  grass  plains  of  the  Northern  Transvaal, 
admiring  as  we  went  the  lovely  tints  of  their  varying 
colours. 

The  town  of  Lichtenberg,  at  which  we  soon  arrived,  is 
situated  at  the  summit  of  high  rolling  prairie  country, 
which  is  so  characteristic  of  all  the  southern  and  south- 
western portions  of  the  Transvaal.  Lichtenberg  is  indeed  a 
dismal-looking  place.  Here  and  there  a  few  houses  are 
scattered  as  though  they  had  been  thrown  from  a  pepper- 
box. Close  to  what  is  called — for  what  reason  it  is  difficult 
to  say — the  Market  Square,  could  be  seen  a  square  dog- 
kennel-looking  building  which  proved  to  be  the  Dutch 
house  of  worship.  Beyond  that,  a  general  merchandise 
store  and  a  few  tumble-down  houses  completed  the 
township. 

Grass  grew  high  around  the  houses,  and  the  market 
square  is  good  grazing  land.  The  roads,  with  the  exception 
of  the  main  highway,  are  almost  hidden  with  grass. 

The  Government  office  is  a  little  building  about  two  feet 


MONEY  ALMOST   UNKNOWN.  23 


by  eight.  It  looked  like  a  sieve,  and  was  a  picture  of  dirt 
and  disorder.  The  town  has  the  same  deserted  and  sorrowful 
aspect  which  may  he  observed  in  most  of  the  small  country 
towns  of  South  Africa. 

Money  as  a  medium  of  exchange  here  is  almost  unknown, 
since  prosperity  departed  with  the  English  at  the  close  of 
the  war. 

We  visited  Mr.  Lane,  a  trader,  who  occupied  one  of  tlio 
few  remaining  houses  which  had  defied  the  elements, 
although  as  I  wrote  notes  in  my  diary,  a  thin  stream  of 
water  made  its  way  through  a  weak  spot  in  the  bedroom 
ceiling.  I  began  to  think  that  the  waggon  was  not  at  all  a 
bad  place  for  repose,  as  we  could  sleep  on  piles  of  blankets, 
and  the  tent  cover  was  perfectly  watertight. 

Excessively  wet  weather  delayed  us  for  some  days.  The 
cattle,  too,  strayed  into  the  field  of  a  Boer  to  whom  com- 
pensation had  to  be  granted  for  damages.  There  was  ample 
time,  therefore,  to  talk  over  the  situation  on  the  frontier  ;  of 
the  freebooters ;  and  the  question  of  the  trade  route  to  the 
interior  which  was  about  to  be  raised  between  the  British 
Government  and  the  Boer  Republic* 

Mr.  Lane  told  us  some  interesting  stories  of  his  recent 
trading  trip  to  Stella-land,  and  of  the  mob  of  freebooters, 
some  of  whom  had  been  displaying  their  humour  in  the 
"noble  art."  He  managed  to  do  some  trading,  but  the 
returns  would  not  be  very  satisfactory  to  a  jManchester 
merchant;  for  the  transactions  had  produced  a  kind  of 
currency  that  could  not  be  readily  carried  in  the  pocket, 
consisting  of  a  few  cattle,  and,  for  small  change,  two  or  three 
chairs  with  raw  hide  seats.     Hard  cash  could  not  be  seen. 

*  Since  that  time  the  British  Government  has  thought  fit  to  spend 
about  a  million  sterling  in  this  matter,  a  large  portion  of  which  has 
gone  into  the  pockets  of  the  Boers, 


24  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

The  waggons  were  sent  on,  and  Selous  and  myself  mounted 
our  horses  and  soon  left  the  desolate  little  town  of  Lichten- 
berg  far  behind,  speeding  on  our  way  through  the  grassy 
prairie,  past  the  little  town  of  Jacobsdaal,  with  its  small 
street  lined  with  stores  and  the  orthodox  Boer  church,  until 
we  entered  the  town  of  Zeerust,  another  trading  centre  within 
the  Transvaal.  Here  we  accepted  the  hospitalities  of 
Mr.  Greite., 

We  heard  that  great  discontent  was  felt  and  manifested 
by  the  Boers  with  reference  to  the  terms  recently  agreed 
upon  by  the  Boer  Convention  in  England,  with  regard  to 
the  question  of  the  frontier  line. 

A  number  of  Boers  were  met  and  some  English  traders. 
With  one  of  the  latter,  Mr.  Thomas,  who  had  just  returned 
from  the  interior,  I  passed  a  good  deal  of  leisure  time 
in  the  endeavour  to  overcome  some  initial  instructions  in 
the  Matabeli  tongue,  which  he  very  kindly  agreed  to 
teach  me. 

Mr.  Selous  had  an  awkward  piece  of  intelligence  one  day. 
Small-pox  had  broken  out  in  the  town,  and  we  would  evi- 
dently have  to  undergo  the  disagreeable  operation  of  being 
half-asphyxiated  by  the  noxious  fumes  of  sulphur,  while  we 
were  shut  up  in  a  small  room  set  apart  for  fumigation. 
Under  these  circumstances  we  lost  no  time  in  making  a  start. 

Now  we  were  nearing  the  borders  of  Bechuana-land,  which 
lately  has  become  the  apple  of  discord  among  enthusiastic 
colonisers.  Two  days'  journey  brought  us  to  the  town  of 
Linokana,  the  chief  of  which  was  Ikalafing,  of  the  tribe  of 
Bahurutsis.  The  town  is  divided  into  three  parts.  Each 
part  has  a  petty  chief.  The  population  is  about  3,000,  and 
the  language  spoken  is  Sechuana,  the  same  as  is  spoken  by 
all  Bechuana  tribes. 

Every  Kaffir  holding  a  hut  pays  ten  shillings  annually 


A   BOER   RAID.  25 


to  the  Transvaal  government.  Just  after  the  English  war, 
in  1881,  the  Boers  advanced  upon  Linokana  with  a  force 
about  600  strong,  and  demanded  5,000  head  of  cattle — 
a  robbery  committed  under  the  pretext  that  Ikalafmg 
was  building  a  wall  round  the  town  with  a  view  to  forti- 
fication. This  wall,  which  was  only  partially  built,  was 
demolished  by  the  Boers'  command,  who  made  the  in- 
habitants build  a  monument  with  the  debris,  a  structure 
which  still  stands,  or  did  when  I  was  there,  to  remind  the 
black  man  that  the  white  man's  might  is  the  devil's  rigid. 

A  missionary  station  standing  here,  supported  by  the 
Hermansberg  Missionary  Society  of  Hanover,  was  super- 
intended by  Mr.  Jansen,  a  Dane.  That  he  had  been  in- 
dustrious was  clearly  shown  by  the  comfortable  house  he 
had  built  for  himself.  There  it  was,  surrounded  by  mag- 
nificent specimens  of  the  Eucalyptus,  which  he  himself  had 
planted  eighteen  years  before.  Gardens  and  corn-fields 
might  also  be  seen.  I  heard  little  of  spiritual  rescues,  but 
Mr.  Jansen  told  me  he  had  a  good  many  followers. 

Moghose's  station,  which  we  next  arrived  at,  is  tho- 
roughly within  Bechuana-land.  The  Transvaal  was  now  left 
on  the  south.  Chief  Kamotsa  rules  Moghose's.  He  is  the 
oldest  chief  among  the  Bechuana  tribes  (the  name  of  his 
tribe  is  Maleti),  and  his  station  is  larger  than  the  others  we 
have  passed.  It  may  be  mentioned  here  that  King  Matebi 
used  to  rule  all  the  Bechuana  tribes,  but  now  each  tribe  has 
its  own  chief. 

At  Moghose's  we  were  joined  by  Mr.  Argent  Kirton,  an 
interior  trader,  who  intended  to  accompany  us  with  his 
waggon  to  Bamangwato  or  Shoshong. 

A  man  who  had  left  Zeerust  on  the  day  after  our  hasty 
departure,  told  us  that  in  the  interval  there  had  been  seven 
fresh  cases  of  small-pox.     All  the  people,  white  and  black, 


26  THE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

who  left  the  town  had  to  be  fumigated.  The  few  Kaffir 
houses  in  which  the  disease  first  appeared  were  burnt  down, 
and  fumigation  was  applied  to  all  the  Kaffirs  in  the  town — 
a  very  trying  ordeal,  founded  upon  an  exploded  and  ignorant 
idea.  In  the  Transvaal,  from  what  I  have  heard,  the  opera- 
tion of  fumigating  is  unusually  severe  through  its  being 
carelessly  conducted ;  so  badly,  indeed,  that  there  have  been 
a  number  of  cases  of  fainting,  suffocation,  and  hemorrhage  of 
the  lungs  induced  by  the  aggravating  and  strong  fumes  of 
the  sulphur.  The  person  operated  upon  is  kept  in  the 
room  for  thirty  minutes.  I  have  even  heard  of  some  cases 
of  death  resulting  through  weak-lunged  persons  being  com- 
pelled to  inhale  the  sulphureous  gas. 

In  the  Transvaal,  the  landdrost  of  a  town,  as  chief  magis- 
trate, exercises  absolute  power.  He  can  sentence  any  one, 
white  or  black,  to  be  flogged,  even  without  the  preliminary 
of  a  trial,  reminding  one  of  Jedwood  justice,  "  hang  in  haste 
and  try  at  leisure,"  as  Scott  said. 

I  remember  reading  in  an  Orange  Free  State  newspaper 
of  an  Englishman,  fifty  years  of  age,  receiving  fifty  lashes 
for  having  given  his  drunken  wife  a  kick,  although  not  a 
mark  could  be  found  on  the  woman. 

Religious  zeal  is  extravagantly  strong  in  the  Boer  lie- 
public,  and  the  outward  ardour  of  the  feeling  has  the  happy 
effect  of  making  travellers  form  golden  opinions  regarding 
the  devout  character  of  the  people.  One  traveller,  espe- 
cially— and  no  mean  literary  authority — has  evidently  been 
strongly  influenced  by  the  pious  atmosphere  of  a  Boer's 
front  room,  which  he  breathed  with  refreshing  delight, 
finding  no  doubt  additional  solace  in  draughts  of  Boer 
coffee.  But  the  drop  curtain  was  never  raised  to  show  life 
behind  the  scenes.  And  so  the  traveller  when  he  is  safe  in 
his  aim-chair,  beside  a  blazing  hearth  in  old  England,  draws 


KING   SECHELE.  27 


towards  him  his  paper,  pen  and  ink,  to  malign  his  white 
brother  in  South  Africa,  whom  he  stigmatises  as  being  of 
evil  repute  and  an  oppressor  of  the  holy  Boer  ! 

On  the  morning  of  the  21st  of  March  we  left  Moghose's, 
travelling  through  a  flat,  bushy  country,  abounding  with 
thorny  acacias  and  very  long  grass.  The  sun  was  intensely 
hot,  and  its  burning  rays  told  heavily  upon  the  struggling 
oxen. 

When  we  arrived  at  Molepololi  river — at  King  Sechelo's — 
we  at  once  visited  the  monarch,  whom  we  found  seated 
under  the  grateful  shade  of  a  large  tree  directly  in  front  of 
his  house.  He  was  fanning  off  the  flies  with  a  giraffe's  tail, 
and  at  his  left  side,  leaning  against  the  back  of  his  chair, 
was  his  brass  walking-stick  or  sceptre.  On  a  log  of  wood 
before  the  king  sat  his  interpreter,  and  towards  the  left,  at 
a  little  distance,  were  a  number  of  humble  admirers,  most  of 
whom  were  very  ancient-looking  fellows. 

The  old  king  greeted  us  with  much  courtesy,  and  went 
as  far  as  to  show  a  little  emotion  when  he  saluted  Kirton, 
which  he  did  in  a  most  civilized  manner,  by  pressing  his 
hand  and  kissing  him  on  the  left  cheek.  Kirton  was  an  old 
friend  of  the  king's,  having  given  him  many  presents, 
hence  this  outburst  of  affection. 

Sechele  seemed  to  be  a  man  of  at  least  sixty-five  years  of 
age,  and  was  rather  a  fine-looking  specimen.  The  hand 
of  time,  however,  had  not  left  him  untouched.  His  hair 
was  falling,  and  his  sight  becoming  impaired.  Civilisation 
had  exerted  a  sadly  demoralising  effect  upon  him,  for  he 
wore  spectacles,  and  it  even  appeared  that  he  had  been 
using  some  hair-dye.  Kirton  had  known  him  when  his  hair 
was  grey ;  now  it  was  of  jet-like  blackness. 

Powder,  caps,  and  whisky  procured  us  the  passport 
through  his  country.     We  visited  his  house,  and  spent  some 


28  THE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

time  talking  to  him,  through  the  medium  of  the  interpreter, 
a  thick-lipped  fellow,  with  an  "  all-over-the-place  "  sort  of 
countenance,  who  sat  on  his  haunches  when  speaking ;  his 
eyes  being  half  closed,  as  though  there  was  no  slight  mental 
strain  in  the  effort  of  reproducing  the  speeches. 

The  king's  house,  inside,  presented  the  appearance  of  a 
place  that  at  one  time,  in  long  forgotten  years,  had  been 
fairly  furnished  with  all  modern  comforts,  but  now  showed 
signs  of  desolation  in  its  hopeless  disorder,  increased  through 
want  of  glue  and  wall-paper. 

The  old  man  produced  a  number  of  rifles,  which  he 
seemed  anxious  to  trade  off  for  other  commodities.  A  side- 
board in  the  place  wore  a  very  dilapidated  appearance,  and 
was  covered  with  a  conglomeration  of  stuff  that  reminded 
one  of  the  window  of  a  three-balls'  establishment.  Most 
conspicuous  of  all  were  a  brass  basin  and  jug,  in  a  condition 
that  was  calculated  to  give  a  supply  of  verdigris  sufiicient 
to  poison  the  whole  tribe.  There  were  also  a  soda-water 
fountain  out  of  gear,  an  ostrich  feather  or  two  stuck  into 
a  broken-down  lamp,  and  a  variety  of  other  ill-assorted 
articles. 

Leaving  Sechele's,  we  trekked  through  the  heavy  beds 
of  sand  which  are  so  marked  a  characteristic  of  northern 
Bechuana-land.  Although  game  was  far  from  being 
plentiful,  we  managed  to  keep  the  waggons  supplied  with 
meat. 

This  was  a  very  happy  part  of  the  journey.  From 
morning  till  night  we  were  in  the  saddle  hunting.  The 
evenings  were  spent  before  blazing  camp  fires,  whose  light 
and  warmth  gave  a  glow  to  good  fellowship,  easing  the  run 
of  pleasant  converse,  so  as  to  soothe  the  sadness  of  lifeless 
solitude.  Many  a  thrilling  tale  of  adventure  did  Selous  re- 
late on  these  occasions,  and  many  a  funny  joke  and  story 


"CAMELS,   BY  JOVE  /"  29 

from  Kirton  made  our  laughter  ring  high  above  the  crack- 
ling of  the  blazing  fire. 

Water,  which  had  been  scarce,  was  plentifully  found  at 
Boatlanama  in  wells.  Antelopes  of  several  varieties 
abounded.  It  was  here  that  I  shot  my  first  antelope — a  fine 
impala  {Mpyceros  Melarnpus),  with  a  good  head. 

The  mode  of  hunting  was  quite  new  to  me.  It  was  full 
of  excitement,  and  success  was  the  reward  only  of  the  active 
and  agile.  The  game  is  followed  at  full  speed  on  horseback, 
and  when  the  pursuer  gets  within  seventy  or  eiglity  yards 
range — perhaps  nearer — he  dismounts,  fires,  and  mounts 
again,  reloading  as  he  advances.  The  holes  burrowed  by 
the  ground  squirrels  sometimes  occasion  heavy  falls  during 
the  heat  of  the  chase. 

A  number  of  Masarwa  bushmen  followed  our  waffffons, 
waiting  for  odds  and  ends  of  meat.  They  are  a  very  ugly 
type  of  mankind,  and  exceedingly  short  in  stature,  but 
they  cannot  be  spoken  of  as  being  dwarfs.  They  proved  to 
be  extraordinary  carriers ;  for  although  literally  staggering 
under  their  loads  of  meat,  they  would  walk  for  miles  with- 
out a  moment's  rest.  The  hut  the  bushman  lives  in  is 
hardly  worthy  of  the  name  of  hovel. 

All  of  them  carry  small  bows,  and  bark  pouches  with 
poisoned  arrows,  the  points  of  which  are  of  bone  or  iron. 
The  poison  is  the  milk  of  the  herb  euphorbia  arhorescens. 
Fire-making  by  rubbing  together  a  couple  of  sticks  — 
everybody  has  described  the  process — is  general  in  this  and 
other  parts  of  this  wonderful  land. 

One  morning  Selous,  Kirton,  and  myself  started  off  in 
search  of  blue  wildebeeste  (CatoUepas  Gorgon).  We  rode 
for  about  an  hour  and  saw  nothing.  Suddenly  Selous 
shouted,  "  Camels,  by  Jove ! " 

This  is  the  name  they  give  to  giraffes  in  South  Africa. 


30  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

They  evidently  saw  us,  but  they  did  not  start  oflf  until  we 
were  within  about  two  hundred  yards  of  them.  Then  off 
we  dashed  in  pursuit,  over  the  grassy  veldt,  and  winding 
in  and  out  among  thorn  bushes,  holes,  and  heaps.  The 
pace  was  marvellous.  I  soon  felt  that  it  would  put  my 
horse  out,  for  he  was  not  long  in  beginning  to  pump  like  a 
high-pressure  engine.  But  I  urged  him  on  to  the  utmost 
of  my  power,  and,  dismounting,  let  fly  both  barrels  of  my 
500  express  without  efiect. 

Selous  and  Kirton,  who  were  on  very  fine  horses,  kept  up 
the  running;  the  former  doing  very  good  work  with  a 
small  450  Metford.  Between  them  they  soon  brought  down 
the  two  giraffes — two  large  bulls — the  biggest  measuring 
sixteen  feet  from  the  top  of  the  skull  to  the  soles  of 
the  fore-feet.  They  had  run  so  far  from  the  track  of  the 
waggon  that  we  could  not  utilize  the  meat,  although  it 
would  have  been  most  acceptable,  because  we  had  a  large 
number  of  hungry  dogs.  But  we  cut  out  the  tongues, 
and  also  had  one  of  the  hearts,  which  are  much  esteemed. 

While  we  were  returning  to  the  waggons  we  saw  numbers 
of  wildebeeste,  but  did  not  give  chase,  as  the  horses  were 
tired.  We  found  the  waggons  at  a  small  vlei,  called  Selinia. 
During  the  night-time,  lions  prowled  about  the  camp,  and 
in  the  morning  we  saw  the  spoor.  They  had  evidently  been 
looking  out  for  the  oxen. 

For  some  part  of  our  journey  we  were  now,  through  a 
scarcity  of  water,  compelled  to  travel  by  night. 

We  arrived  at  Shoshong,  Bamangwato,  or  Khama's  Town, 
about  mid-day  on  the  third  of  April,  and  remained  there 
for  a  few  days,  putting  up  at  the  house  of  Mr.  James 
Dawson,  one  of  the  most  generous-hearted  of  traders — a 
worthy  Scot — who  keeps  open  house  for  all  passing  tra- 
vellers.    By  wandering  about  the  place,  I  was  enabled  to 


KB  AM  A.  ol 

learn  a  good  deal  about  the  customs   and  ways   of  the 
Bechuana  people. 

As  some  attention  has  of  late  been  attracte<i  to  the  j»la^e, 
in  speaking  of  the  new  British  colony  of  Becbuana-land,  I 
will  give  a  brief  description  of  Shoshong.  The  town  i?  n<  >t 
within  the  protectorate.  It  is  situated  on  the  northern  side 
of  a  large  open  valley,  close  to  the  foothills  of  a  black 
basaltic  range  of  mountains,  which,  as  you  approach  fr- :>m 
the  south,  have  a  dark  and  dreary  look. 

Khama's  Town  is  the  name  by  which  perhaps  it  is  ni.'St 
familiar  in  England,  through  its  having  been  adopted  by 
" special  commissioners "  and  newspapers.  The  name  c imes 
from  Khama,  the  ruling  chief,  who  is  a  son  of  Sekhome. 
Khama  is  a  very  good  man,  and  singularly  considerate  to 
the  whites.  Such,  in  fact,  has  always  been  his  character. 
He  is  supposed  to  be  the  king  of  the  Bechuana  pe^jple,  and, 
like  most  of  the  black  monarchs,  he  claims  and  K^asts  of  a 
good  deal  more  territory  than  he  has  any  actual  ]:»ower 
over.  Like  Theebaw,  Khama,  in  his  mind's  eye,  is  a  "  Lorl 
of  Boundless  Dominions,"  but  his  modesty  makes  him  sj;>eak 
of  the  Zambesi  as  his  limit  on  the  north-west  I 

The  introduction  of  Christianity  has  caused  a  good  deal 
of  disturbance  among  the  chiefs  of  Shoshong,  giving  rise  to 
serious  differences  between  fathers,  sons,  and  brothers,  and 
leading  to  separation,  and  even  to  fighting  among  those 
who  had  adopted  the  new  faith  and  those  who  climg  to  the 
old  order  of  things. 

I  met  Khama  several  times.  He  appeared  to  be  anxious 
to  buy  saddles  and  horses,  doubtless  for  his  cavalry  regiment. 
Fifty  years  would  be  about  his  age,  I  should  say ;  but  he 
wears  well,  and  in  appearance  and  action  is  a  gentleman. 
He  dresses  in  European  garb,  as  indeed  do  all  the  Kaffirs 
here  when  they  can  afford  to  do  so.     Those  who  cannot 


32  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

afford  the  whole  costume  of  a  fully-fledged  European  adopt 
as  much  as  they  can  buy,  no  matter  in  what  shape,  so  that 
a  good  many  ludicrous  figures  may  be  seen  on  all  hands. 

The  women  wear  numbers  of  bracelets  of  beads  and  brass 
wire ;  they  have  necklaces  also  of  the  same  description, 
while  massive  anklets  of  blue  beads  sometimes  extend  to 
the  calf  of  the  leg.  Usually  they  have  a  sort  of  cloak 
of  skins,  and  round  the  waist,  cloth  and  skins  of  all  de- 
scriptions. 

The  old  women  are  exceedingly  hideous,  and  have  no 
uniformity  in  dress.  They  seem  to  have  the  bulk  of  the 
hard  work  to  do;  such  as  carrying  firewood,  water,  and 
the  products  of  the  field  ;  in  fact  they  are  inferior  pack 
animals. 

No  distinguishing  form  of  head-dress  is  to  be  found 
among  the  people.  Their  hair  is  worn  very  short — perhaps 
as  a  sanitary  measure,  where  combs  and  brushes  are  not 
toilet  articles.  Sometimes  they  have  the  head  shaved, 
leaving  a  small  patch  of  hair  on  the  top,  and  this  patch  I 
have  seen  adorned  with  very  small  black  and  blue  coloured 
beads. 

There  are  about  3,000  people  in  the  town.  The  huts  are 
scattered  over  a  large  area  along  the  foothills.  I  was  told 
that  in  former  days  the  town  spread  far  out  upon  the  plain, 
but  through  the  restless  dread  of  the  warlike  Matabeli  of 
the  north,  the  inhabitants  have  gradually  huddled  their 
huts  closer  together,  with  a  view  to  gaining  greater  security 
against  attack.  There  is  a  church  in  the  place,  capable  of 
accommodating  a  small  congregation. 

The  white  man's  occupation  here  is  wholly  connected 
with  trading,  of  which  the  principal  support  is  the  trafiic 
in  skins  and  robes,  or  karosses  made  of  skins  sewn  together 
with  remarkable  neatness.     The  people  are  very  clever  at 


THE  SEOSHONG   INFANTRY.  33 


their  sewing,  producing  the  finest  work  of  the  kind  in 
South  Africa.  I  was  informed  that  the  Makalaka,  a  number 
of  whom  live  here,  do  all  the  gardening  and  bkicksmithing 
work,  and  really  are  an  industrious  race,  which  cannot  be 
said  of  the  Bechuana  people,  who  are  thoroughly  lazy. 

Trade  had  been  getting  very  dull  for  three  or  four  years, 
and  at  the  time  of  our  visit  was  almost  at  a  standstill. 

The  Matabeli,  or  more  properly  Amandebeli,  under 
Lo-bengula,  have  long  threatened  to  descend  upon  Khama, 
and  for  that  reason  the  latter  chief  will  not  allow  liis  people 
to  go  to  the  far-off  hunting  veldt,  in  proximity  to  the 
Kalahari  desert,  where  ostriches  still  abound.  The  fear  is 
that  during  the  people's  absence  the  invasion  by  the  ]\Iata- 
beli  might  take  place ;  so  they  stay  at  home,  suffering 
from  the  hardness  of  their  fate,  while  day  by  day  and  week 
by  week  they  anticipate  the  long-threatened  raid  of  their 
dangerous  northern  neighbours. 

I  am  sure  that,  when  it  was  over,  such  a  war  would  be  a 
boon  to  the  white  traders,  for  the  continued  dread  in  anti- 
cipation has  paralysed  every  business  enterprise.* 

The  slaughter  of  giraffes  found  in  this  country  must  have 
been  very  great.  Within  two  years  over  a  thousand  hides 
of  these  beautiful  creatures  have  been  shipped  to  the 
colony,  for  the  purpose  of  being  made  up  into  cattle  whips 
for  ox-driving.  It  was  affirmed  that  at  that  time  they  had 
sufficient  cattle  whips  to  last  for  ten  years  to  come. 

An  "  old  adjutant "  would  have  been  delighted  to  watch 
the  manoeuvres  of  the  Shoshong  infantry.  I  did  not  count 
their  numbers,  but  it  struck  me  that  many  were  armed  with 

*  Since  then  I  have  found  reason  to  believe  firmly  that  Lo-bengula's 
dreams  of  conquest  relate  to  lands  lying  to  the  north  of  his  territory.  I 
think  there  should  be  no  fear  whatever  of  his  attempting  any  extension 
towards  the  south.  Some  skirmishing,  however,  has  taken  place  recently 
•with  Khama's  forces. 

VOL.  I.  D 


34  THE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

old-fashioned  rifles,  which  I  felt  certain  in  the  majority  of 
cases,  judging  from  their  general  rusty  appearance  round 
the  nipples,  would  not  go  off  when  required.  Of  course  it 
must  be  remembered  that  their  foes  from  the  north  were 
armed  only  with  assegais. 

Preparations  for  war  were  carried  on  vigorously.  The 
infantry  turned  out  every  afternoon  during  our  stay,  but  I 
should  say  that  at  no  time  was  there  a  larger  muster  than 
800  or  900,  although  I  was  told  that  Khama  could  raise 
6,000  men.  I  do  not  think  Khama  could  arm  such  a 
number.  The  cavalry,  I  was  told,  numbered  300,  but  only 
150  had  saddles.  One  morning,  when  I  was  taking  my 
observations  for  longitude,  I  saw  a  number  of  them  upon 
the  plain  in  front  of  the  town. 

There  was  no  uniform,  either  for  cavalry  or  infantry. 
All  put  on  what  rags  and  old  clothes  of  Europeans  they 
could  find.  Under  these  circumstances  it  may  be  imagined 
that  the  back  view  of  a  company  of  foot  was  most  ridi- 
culous ;  some  had  shirts,  while  others  were  almost  naked, 
but  they  all  wore  a  cap  of  buckskin,  black  or  white,  the 
distinguishing  mark  of  their  companies. 

Very  peculiar  was  their  mode  of  drill.  A  company  would 
hustle  together,  and  huddle  up  one  to  another,  all  marching 
with  a  sort  of  "  mark  time  "  motion,  with  very  short  paces. 
As  they  moved  they  sang  in  rather  a  quaint  style,  not 
altogether  devoid  of  music.  Suddenly  two  of  the  warriors 
started  off  ahead  of  the  company  at  a  rapid  prancing  gait 
and  showing  the  bearing  of  defiance.  After  a  few  manoeuvres 
of  this  nature  the  couple  would  return,  and  another  file, 
from  a  different  company,  would  sally  bravely  forth  to  go 
through  similar  movements. 

How  these  warriors  would  bear  themselves  in  front  of  a 
formidable  Matabeli  impi  is  too  difficult  a  question  for  me 


LEAVING   SHOSHONG.  35 

to  decide.  But  I  have  been  told  that  they  arc  frightful 
cowards.  Here  again,  it  may  be  the  case  that  contact  with 
civilisation  has  tended  to  make  the  people  effeminate. 
Certainly  it  has  not  improved  them  in  appearance. 

Khama  has  but  one  wife,  and  she  previously  belonged  to 
Lo-bengula,  but  had  run  away  from  him,  I  understand  that 
when  inquiries  were  made  concerning  her  by  her  deserted 


Frederick  Coukteney  ISelous. 

spouse,  Khama  replied  that  she  was  "  fat  and  had  plenty  to 
eat,"  fatness  being  the  chief  end  of  Kaffir  ambition. 

I  cannot  say  that  I  regretted  when  the  time  came  when 
we  were  to  saddle  up  and  take  leave  of  Shoshong,  or 
Bamangwato.  Selous  and  myself,  however,  were  sorry  to 
part  with  Argent  Kirton,  who  had  proved  such  a  merry  com- 
panion.   Now,  however,  he  had  to  wend  his  way  southwards. 

D  2 


36  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

The  waggons  had  started  ahead  of  us  on  the  previous 
day,  so  we  had  a  long  ride  before  us.  We  were  now  about 
to  enter  the  country  termed  by  the  Boers  the  "  Thirst 
Land." 

A  short  cut  through  the  mountains  immediately  at  the 
back  of  the  town  lessened  our  journey  considerably.  Tre- 
mendous conglomerations  of  rocks  and  boulders,  of  every 
description  in  size  and  shape,  composed  the  rugged  moun- 
tains on  either  side  of  our  narrow  track.  These  spoke  of  a 
mighty  volcanic  upheaval,  and  I  have  rarely  seen  more  im- 
posing examples  of  some  of  Nature's  old-world  commotions. 

We  overtook  the  waggons  on  the  north  bank  of  the 
Mahalapse  river.  The  heat  was  excessive,  and  the  flies  were 
out  in  myriads.  At  the  waggons  we  found  little  Kanyemba, 
Selous'  slave  boy,  whom  he  had  got  among  the  tribes  near 
the  Zambesi;  a  funny  little  fellow,  the  companion  and 
feeder  of  the  dogs  and  puppies.  He  was  lying  under  a 
small  blanket,  trying  to  sleep  under  extraordinary  dis- 
advantages, seeing  that  the  puppies  were  pulling  and 
tugging  at  the  covering,  wondering,  no  doubt,  why  their 
playmate  was  so  sulky,  while  the  flies  were  swarming  about 
his  head,  the  pests  being  worse  here  than  I  had  seen  them 
in  South  Africa.  The  boy,  it  seems,  had  an  attack  of 
measles.  So  Selous  produced  his  medicine  chest,  a  veritable 
curiosity  in  its  way.  The  extraordinary  mixture  of  medi- 
cines contained  in  a  very  small  cardboard  box,  formed  a 
mystical  arrangement  which  the  owner  alone  could  solve : 
there  was  no  elaborate  labelling  of  bottles  and  boxes  which 
we  have  been  taught  to  look  for  in  every  typical  and 
well-regulated  medicine  chest.  Notwithstanding  this,  the 
contents  of  Selous'  "  chest "  were  not  less  effectual,  and  in 
this  case  the  results  were  all  that  could  be  desired.  I  must 
'say  that  I  had  a  great  liking  for  this  tiny  black  boy ;  he 


LOST  IN   THE    VELDT.  37 


was  so  good-natured,  and  his  happy  little  face  always  wore 
a  winning  smile,  far  from  being  unlovely,  for  lie  was  by  no 
means  an  example  of  the  ugly  type  of  the  black  race. 

Inspanning  immediately,  we  trekked  through  a  country 
of  very  monotonous  appearance,  passing  the  Tchakani  vlei, 
where  Selous,  in  1872,  re-appeared  after  an  absence  of  four 
days,  during  which  he  had  been  lost  in  the  veldt,  and  liad 
neither  food  nor  drink.  The  small  kopjie  which  stands 
beside  the  vlei  was  his  beacon  as  he  wandered  about  the 
trackless  and  sun-parched  wilderness. 

Black  ants  were  swarming  as  we  moved  along,  and  a 
most  offensive  odour  arose  when  they  were  crushed  by  the 
waggon's  wheels.  We  hunted  every  day,  but  hardly  any 
game  could  be  seen. 

Three  or  four  hours  at  a  time  formed  the  spells  of  march- 
ing, and  not  a  little  progress  was  made  during  the  night,  in 
order  to  save  the  oxen,  as  the  rivers  all  through  this  region 
are  almost  dry.  Few  of  them  have  any  running  water, 
although  about  ten  or  twelve  years  ago  they  used  to  be 
well-flowing  streams.  Now,  even  after  the  rains,  there  is 
but  little  water. 

What  a  strangely  worthless  land  is  this  !  Everyone  who 
passes  through  the  place  must  think  so.  There  seemed  to 
be  few  inducements  to  the  investing  of  capital  in  any  part 
of  Bechuana-land  through  which  I  passed.  This  opinion 
encourages  me  to  remark  freely  that  some  of  the  later 
travellers  in  these  parts  have  been  too  cruel  in  picturing  to 
intending  colonists  that  health,  wealth,  happiness,  liberty, 
equality,  fraternity,  peace,  retrenchment,  reform,  and  all 
the  other  visionary  blessings  which  the  modern  social  state 
hankers  after,  await  them  in  this  Edenless  paradise.  Why 
should  the  truth  be  hid  under  the  tinseled  veil  of  eloquence  ? 
Why  should  this  region,  above  all  others,  be  described  as  a 


38  TEE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

land  luxuriant  in  verdure,  on  whose  vast  tracts  of  fertile, 
well-watered  soil  the  richest  crops  of  golden  fruit  may  rise, 
ripening  under  the  genial  influence  of  a  cloudless  sun  ? 

Let  the  intending  colonist  go  and  look  at  the  country, 
and  he  will  find  with  a  vengeance  that  he  has 

"  To  force  the  churlish  soil  for  scanty  bread." 

As  a  dupe  of  misrepresentation,  he  will  search  long  for  the 
wealth,  agricultural  and  mineral,  which  is  scattered  through 
these  regions  of  intense  drought,  and  his  capital  will  quickly 
disappear  when  he,  perforce,  begins  to  fertilize  the  land 
with  his  "  lung-sick  "  cattle.  When  his  money  is  expended, 
those  who  sent  him  out  will  be  deaf  to  remonstrances,  and 
the  whole  failure  will  be  attributed  to  his  lassitude  and 
inability  to  grasp  a  golden  opportunity. 

Irrigation  is  the  magic  word  shouted  by  every  enthu- 
siastic coloniser.  Like  the  bottle  of  the  charlatan,  it  means 
a  cure  for  every  evil.  The  actual  significance  of  the  word 
is  ignored.  The  source  of  supply,  of  necessity  the  principal 
consideration  in  such  a  scheme,  is  never  mentioned,  not  to 
speak  of  being  indicated.  The  water  is  to  be  dammed,  but 
there  is  no  mention  made  of  the  class  of  dams,  of  their  con- 
struction or  their  probable  cost.  Of  course  irrigation  can  be 
eflfected,  but  we  must  have  rivers  that  will  afford  an  abun- 
dant supply  of  water ;  then  we  must  have  suitable  soil  and 
contour,  not  too  much  rooting  to  be  done,  and  a  land  adapted 
to  ditching. 

Now  we  find  the  nomadic  tribes  of  Masarwa  bushmen 
who  rove  in  search  of  the  solitary  duiker,  cooling  their 
parched  tongues  by  sucking  through  hollow  reeds  from  the 
brooks  beneath  the  sands.  These  inhabitants,  as  is  well 
known,  are  stunted  in  growth,  the  dirt  of  years  forms  their 
covering,  the  bow  and  its  bone-tipped  arrow  is  their  weapon, 


A    QBE  AT  THIRST  LAND.  39 

and  wild  grasses  of  the  desert,  thrown  over  bent  boughs  and 
saplings,  shield  them  from  the  storm.  Yet  they  are  iS^ature's 
free  men,  for  their  land  may  be  coveted,  but  it  cannot  be 
inhabited,  by  aliens.  The  rivers  are  sluggish,  and  are 
slowly  but  surely  silting. 

Remembering  the  long  list  of  sicknesses  to  which  domestic 
animals  are  liable,  the  vast  tracts  of  unpeopled  country, 
where  the  duiker  and  the  steinbuck  are  the  only  species  of 
game  that  can  exist  (their  habit  being  to  roam  far  from 
water),  the  scantiness  of  nutritious  grasses,  the  boundless 
stretches  of  worthless  bush  and  stunted  forest,  the  long, 
winding  belts  of  arid,  yellow  sand  which  mark  the  courses 
of  once-flowing  rivers — I  say  that,  remembering  all  these 
features,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  they  indelibly  stamp 
the  country  as  a  great  thirst  land,  a  region  lost  to  mankind. 

Soon,  however,  we  came  to  a  fine  hunting  country,  where 
giraffes  abounded,  also  harte-beest  (Alcelaphus  caama)  and 
zebras  (Burchell),  and  where  flocks  of  guinea-fowl  and 
coveys  of  Namaqua  partridges  were  seen. 

Selous  and  myself  bathed  in  the  shallow  pools  of  the 
river  and  in  small  vleis  of  the  forest.  The  deeper  pools 
were  dangerous,  on  account  of  the  crocodile. 

The  Shashi  river  was  crossed  on  the  13th  of  April.  It  is 
said  to  be  the  dividing  line  between  the  countries  of  Lo- 
bengula  and  Khama,  but  I  believe  there  is  some  ground 
north  of  the  river  which  is  claimed  by  both  sides.  Practi- 
cally, however,  it  is  ruled  by  Lo-bengula.  We  left  the 
waggons  here,  and  rode  ahead.  Now  we  were  in  Matabeli- 
land. 


40  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 


CHAPTER  III. 
In  Lo-bengula's  Country. 

The  Tati  Gold  Fields — Dinner  with  the  Jesuit  fathers — A  reckless 
traveller — The  mines  and  their  working — First  appearance  of  Korana 
John — Game  gradually  disappearing — A  disastrous  flash  of  lightning 
— Among  the  Mataheli — Symptoms  of  horse-sickness — Lost  in  the 
veldt — A  shot  at  a  pauw — Unexpected  aid — Keturn  to  the  waggons — 
"Lo-ben  is  friendly" — An  escort  sent — Matabeli  gardens — Scene  at 
Magubuduani — Approaching  Buluwayo — The  "New  Valhalla" — The 
country  full  of  fever — An  improvised  hospital — Poor  Whitaker ! — 
The  King  in  his  kraal — Reception  by  Lo-ben — The  Queens  of  the 
Matabeli — In  the  royal  harem — Meeting  a  Yorkshireman — Interior  of 
a  queen's  hut — Beef  and  beer  with  a  vengeance ! — "  The  King  can  do 
no  wrong  " — "  Go  well,  Son  of  the  Sea  " — Poetical  expressions  of  the 
Matabeli — Description  of  Buluwayo — Inxwala,  the  great  dance — Royal 
bloodshed — Matabeli  morality — Selous  attacked  by  fever — The  Comte 
de  Lapanose — Farewell  to  Selous — Lo-ben's  origin — The  King  ex- 
plains the  country's  customs — His  final  permission — Description  of 
my  party — A  bad  start — "  Why,  man,  he's  drunk ! " — Breakdown  of 
the  cart — Start  with  waggon  and  oxen — Johji's  penitence — Shiloh — 
Massacre  of  Captain  Paterson's  party — An  apostle  of  work — Inyati 
mission  station — Last  outpost  of  the  London  Missionary  Society — 
Kind  friends — Farewell  to  the  last  white  man. 

As  we  approached  the  Tati  Gold  Fields  we  encountered  a 
man  who  had  long  lived  in  JVEatabeli-land,  but  was  com- 
pelled to  leave  owing  to  the  frequent  attacks  of  fever  from 
which  his  family  had  suffered.  He  was  a  Boer  and  a  poly- 
gamist.  His  two  wives,  his  family,  and  his  three  waggons 
made  a  fairly  representative  Boer  caravan.  After  partaking 
of  a  sumptuous  lunch  cooked  by  one  of  the  fraus,  we  con- 
tinued our  journey  until  we  arrived  at  a  small  mud-walled 


A   RECKLESS   TRAVELLER.  41 


house,  with  a  thatched  roof,  in  the  little  villaoe  of  Tati.  It 
was  Easter  Sunday,  and  we  were  welcomed  by  the  Jesuit 
fathers  and  brothers  to  a  good  dinner,  the  menu  comprising- 
stewed  goat  with  sauce  a  la  Tail,  roast  leg  of  mutton, 
French  beans  and  potatoes,  apple  and  black  currant  kill- 
boy  tart,  a  finely-baked  sponge  cake  that  would  rival  one  of 
Gunter's ;  also  Cape  sherry  and  cafe  au  lait. 

The  vegetables  and  Avater-melons  were  grown  by  the 
brothers  in  their  garden,  which  was  then  in  a  flourishing 
condition  after  the  refreshing  rains.  Father  Prestage  was 
the  chief  of  the  station,  and  he  informed  mo  that  feasting 
was  far  from  being  a  common  occurrence,  but  it  was  natural 
on  Easter  Sunday. 

A  great  deal  of  fever  was  here,  especially  down  on  the 
river's  banks,  Tati  being  situated  on  a  gentle  eminence 
rising,  but  at  some  distance,  from  the  stream.  The  place 
was  then  very  unhealthy. 

On  the  following  day  we  visited  Mr.  Sam  Edwards,  who 
had  charge  of  the  gold  mines,  a  man  well  known  and  well 
liked  by  all  the  hunters  and  travellers  who  have  passed  here 
towards  the  interior.  A  young  Canadian  named  Whitaker, 
he  told  us,  had  passed  through  on  his  way  to  the  Victoria 
Falls  of  the  Zambesi,  with  a  donkey  as  his  only  companion  : 
a  very  precarious  way  to  travel,  because  the  African  fever 
attacks  the  strongest  and  reduces  the  most  vigorous  frame 
to  helpless  weakness  by  a  sudden  and  resistless  stroke.  In 
the  country  which  Whitaker  was  entering  any  traveller 
would  be  in  dire  difficulties,  for  should  he  have  an  attack 
and  be  far  away  from  help  it  would  be  a  marvel  if  he 
survived. 

The  New  Zealand  mine,  a  little  to  the  east  of  the  village, 
was  the  only  mine  in  active  operation.  Working  in  the 
others  had  been  temporarily  abandoned.     The  outcrop  of 


42  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

the  veins  on  the  surface  here  is  exceedingly  rare  compared 
with  other  mining  districts  I  have  visited.  It  is  therefore 
a  very  expensive  country  for  prospecting.  The  auriferous 
quartz  is  of  a  rather  low  grade,  and  somewhat  coloured  with 
peroxide  of  iron.  Slate  generally  composes  the  rock  of  the 
country.     The  gold  is  coated  slightly  with  iron  pyrites. 

My  opinion  is  that  the  process  technically  designated 
pan-amalgamation  would  be  preferable  to  the  method  which 
the  miners  now  follow,  and  would,  besides,  be  the  most  pro- 
fitable way  of  reducing  these  ores.  So  far  prospecting  has 
merely  meant  that  the  white  man  has  followed  the  work- 
ings, or  rather  ground  broken — it  can  only  be  spoken  of  as 
broken — by  the  Mashona  and  Makalaka,  and  long  abandoned, 
the  cruel  hand  of  fate  having  driven  these  suffering  races  far 
to  the  north-east  of  Matabeli-land. 

Doubtless  the  small  holes  which  appear  in  these  ir- 
regular fissure  veins  were  made  during  the  time  when  the 
Mashona  and  Makalaka  were  living  peacefully  in  this 
country ;  that  was  before  the  days  of  the  irresistible  and 
indefatigable  conqueror  Umzilagazi,  whose  hordes  became 
the  land  pirates  of  this  section  of  the  country,  making  their 
memories  even  in  our  day  a  trembling  dread  among  all  the 
tribes  of  the  adjacent  lands.  There  was  ample  cause  for 
this  dread,  for  captivity  meant  death,  or  worse  than  death,  a 
cruel  servitude  for  life  in  the  bondage  of  the  Great  Black 
King, 

Gold  mining  strangely  infatuates  those  who  know  little 
or  nothing  of  the  ups  and  downs  which  men  have  experienced 
in  life-long  search  for  the  precious  metal;  not  only  im- 
periling their  possessions  but  actually  their  lives  for  the 
ignis  fatuus  of  a  rich  lode.  The  chances  are  really  a  thou- 
sand to  one  against  finding  a  really  good  one. 

Here  in  Tati,  however,  we  get  an  insight  into  misplaced 


KORAN  A   JOHN.  43 


ambition,  and  a  painful  exemplification  of  absolute  igno- 
rance on  the  part  of  the  principals.  A  gentleman  whom 
I  have  mentioned  before  gets  the  credit  of  being  the 
Quixotic  adventurer  who  hazards  his  ducats,  and  who  sent 
up  the  machinery  for  a  small  mill.  We  saw  the  parts  of 
the  steam-engine  and  the  mortar-block  lying  promiscuously 
around  the  somewhat  odd-looking  waggons  which  had  been 
sent  out  from  England.  The  accumulation  was  the  "  head- 
quarters "  of  the  mining  party,  but  not  the  faintest  idea 
existed  as  to  where  the  mine  was  to  be  found  for  which  the 
mill  would  work. 

At  Tati  we  met  a  Korana  elephant-hunter  who  had  served 
his  apprenticeship  with  Mr.  Selous ;  the  latter  very  kindly 
made  all  arrangements  with  the  man  to  accompany  me  on 
my  projected  journey.  The  Korana  went  by  the  name  of 
John  Selous,  which  reminds  me  that  among  the  Hottentots 
there  is  a  singular  liking  for  the  name  John.  My  new 
henchman  presented  all  the  peculiar  characteristics  of  the 
Hottentot  in  his  outward  appearance. 

We  stayed  only  two  days  at  Tati,  being  anxious  to  push 
on  with  all  possible  speed  to  Buluwayo,  the  chief  town  of 
Matabeli-land.  The  town  was  still  ten  days'  travel  to  the 
north,  and  there  I  would  have  to  make  all  arrangements 
about  my  future  route.  At  Buluwayo  I  was  to  part  from 
my  good  friend  Selous. 

Our  track  carried  us  through  thick  mopani  bush  and 
forest.  Portions  of  the  road  had  been  badly  cut  up  by 
recent  rains,  so  that  the  waggon  pitched  and  tossed  like  a 
ship  in  a  short  sea. 

After  a  gradual  ascent  we  reached  a  point  3,340  feet 
above  the  sea-level.  Then  we  trekked  downwards  into  the 
valley  of  the  Inkwezi  river,  and  crossing  the  waters  camped 
on  the  other  side. 


44  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

While  here  I  scoured  the  country  for  miles  in  search  of 
game,  but  without  any  luck,  although  in  bygone  days 
there  used  to  be  abundance  of  sport  found  in  these  parts. 
That  was  before  the  war  of  extermination  had  been  fairly 
started.  Now,  through  the  common  property  of  gunpowder 
and  the  familiarity  of  arms  to  the  natives,  this  region  has 
been  laid  waste.  You  may  travel  not  only  for  miles  but 
for  days  in  the  veldt  without  seeing  a  living  thing,  save  a 
few  birds  and,  perhaps,  a  duiker.  By  no  means  a  long  time 
ago  the  shrill  trumpeting  of  the  elephant  might  be  heard 
echoing  among  the  kopjies  which  bank  the  river  on  the 
north ;  hundreds  of  giraffes  browsed  and  found  shelter  in 
the  luxuriant  mopani  forests ;  in  short,  almost  every  species 
of  wild  animal  to  be  found  in  South  Africa  was  common 
among  the  now  silent  groves  which  fringe  the  Inkwezi. 

The  native  hunters,  with  their  rude-looking  arms,  have 
been  the  exterminators.  The  finely-finished,  specially-made 
rifles  of  the  keen  white  sportsman  have  done  little  harm 
among  the  big  game,  compared  to  the  havoc  made  by  these 
imperfect-looking  weapons,  with  their  clumsy  stocks  covered 
with  hide,  and  altogether  resembling  a  gas-pipe  with  a 
frozen  clod  of  earth  at  one  end. 

The  utter  want  of  animal  life  was  inexpressibly  sad. 
No  one  could  help  being  impressed  with  the  solemn  lone- 
liness of  the  surroundings  on  the  banks  of  the  Inkwezi, 
especially  if  they  stood  as  I  did  at  sunset  and  looked  up 
at  the  reddish-coloured  rocky  prominences  of  the  rude 
kopjies  protruding  boldly  from  their  thorny  bush  cover- 
ings and  flaunting  the  sunshine.  Austere  and  immovable, 
they  stood  out  stern  in  their  original  form,  overlooking 
the  vast,  lone  forests,  soundless,  without  a  murmur  to 
break  the  stillness  which  reigned  supreme  through  an 
empire  of  solitude  and  desolation. 


A   DEADLY  FLASH   OF  LIGHTNING.  45 

At  this  place  some  years  ago,  when  my  friend  had  made 
camp,  and  was  just  inspanning  for  a  start,  a  flash  of 
lightning  instantly  killed  fourteen  oxen  which  were 
standing  a  short  distance  from  his  waggon  under  the  shelter 
of  a  tree.  He  had  been  taking  them  down  for  a  friend. 
The  Kaffirs  would  not  touch  the  beasts,  as  they  thought  the 
disaster  was  a  special  dispensation  of  some  witcli.  j\[r. 
Selous,  however,  cut  the  tongues  out  and  took  them  with 
him  as  provisions.  During  the  night,  tlie  dogs  ate  them 
all,  and  the  superstitious  Kaffirs  doubtless  thouglit  tlie 
same  witch  had  determined  that  no  part  of  the  cattle 
should  become  human  food. 

Early  in  the  morning  Selous  left  our  camp  on  the 
Inkwezi  river  on  horseback,  bound  for  Buluwayo,  the 
king's  kraal,  in  order  to  tell  Lo-ben  of  the  arrival  of  his 
waggons,  and  also  to  state  that  he  was  bringing  another 
white  man. 

This  was  a  very  interesting  part  of  the  journey.  We  were 
now  nearing  the  villages  of  the  warlike  Matabeli,  and  every 
day's  progress  became  full  of  incident. 

I  have  said  that  the  recent  rains  had  made  the  roads 
remarkably  heavy,  so  that  pulling  the  waggons  was  tre- 
mendously hard  upon  the  oxen  when  crossing  the  Makhobe 
hills,  where  they  sank  almost  to  their  bellies  in  the  black 
and  treacherous  mud,  the  wheels  being  up  to  the  naves. 
The  old  waggon  groaned  and  creaked  again  grandly  in  the 
struggle,  and  at  one  time  we  nearly  broke  our  dissel  boom, 
which,  for  the  benefit  of  the  uninitiated,  I  may  explain 
means  the  pole  of  the  waggon. 

Numbers  of  Matabeli  warriors,  with  assegais  and  shields, 
passed  us.    They  seemed  to  be  a  very  good-natured  lot  of  folk. 

The  country  was  of  granitic  formation,  with  white  quartz 
cropping  out  here  and  there. 


46  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

Passing  on  to  the  banks  of  the  Mangue  river  we  came 
to  the  house  of  a  Boer — an  old  hunter  who  has  permission 
from  the  king  to  live  here.  His  wife  was  a  victim  to  fever. 
I  had  sundry  articles  from  my  friend  to  deliver  to  him,  and 
noticed  with  some  interest  the  careful  eye  he  kept  upon 
the  balance-scales  as  I  weighed  out  his  quantity  of  dried 
peaches*  from  America,  and  sugar — veritable  luxuries  in 
this  country.  The  old  Boer  was  a  smart  man  of  business  in 
this  particular.  He  told  me  that  Lo-ben  was  in  a  bad 
humour,  and  had  been  blotting  out  a  few  lives  lately. 

Our  animals  all  looked  very  well  on  the  night  of  the 
20th  of  April ;  but  on  the  following  day  the  yellow  horse,  as 
I  termed  him,  fell  very  ill,  and  during  the  night  died.  He 
was  a  very  good  little  beast,  but  had  not  had  the  sickness, 
in  other  words  was  not  "  salted." 

I  watched  the  symptoms  carefully,  but  was  at  a  loss  to 
know  what  to  do  for  him.  This  sickness  seems  to  me  to 
be  a  regular  fever,  with  quick  and  violent  pulsation.  The 
nostrils  are  dilated,  and  there  is  evident  pain  in  breathing. 
A  copious  discharge  of  a  very  yellow  fluid  comes  from  the 
nose,  and,  after  death,  a  large  amount  of  foam — likewise 
yellow — is  blown  from  the  nostrils  and  mouth. 

By  this  time  the  weather  had  greatly  changed.  Usually 
I  wore  nothing  but  a  shirt  and  light  corduroy  trousers,  but 
now  a  coat  and  waistcoat  were  not  out  of  place,  and  far  from 
being  too  warm.  We  were  getting  high  in  elevation,  the 
camp  then  being  3,850  feet  above  the  sea. 

A  few  mornings  after  this,  according  to  my  usual  habit, 
I  started  out  on  horseback,  leaving  the  waggons  trekking 
in  a  north-easterly  direction.  My  intention  was  to  cross 
their  spoor  later  in  the  day,  as  when  I  killed  game  I  could 

*  The  water  in  which  the  peaches  are  stewed  is  considered  a  valuable 
medicine  in  fever  cases. 


LOST !  47 

carry  a  portion  of  it  on  horseback  to  the  camp.  I  had  given 
chase  to  some  antelope,  but  after  going  a  long  way  I  looked 
at  my  watch  and  found  that  I  had  been  three  hours  in 
the  chase. 

Turning  abruptly  round,  I  made  off  in  what  I  thought 
was  the  right  direction  to  come  up  to  the  waggons.  After 
galloping  hard  for  some  time  I  came  to  the  conclusion,  not 
having  discovered  the  waggons'  spoor,  that  I  must  have 
inadvertently  crossed  the  track,  so  I  started  upon  a  new 
quest  in  a  more  southerly  direction,  keeping  up  a  good 
pace,  as  I  knew  the  waggons  would  now  be  far  away  ahead, 
and  the  boys  would  be  out  all  over  the  country  after  me. 

There  was  no  doubt  that  I  was  properly  lost.  I  would 
at  once  have  to  shoot  something  for  that  night's  supper. 
Wandering  for  a  time,  I  saw,  about  200  yards  off,  a  very 
large  pauw,  which  is  a  big  grey  bird,  larger  than  a  good- 
sized  turkey.  I  immediately  jumped  off  my  horse  and 
tied  him  to  a  tree.  There  was  a  very  bad  place  to  cross 
before  I  could  get  to  the  bird,  so  I  fired  at  200  yards, 
and  was  fortunate  in  hitting  it  fairly  on  the  breast.  The 
bullet  expanded,  and  glanced  off  instead  of  piercing :  so 
much  for  the  boasted  hollow  bullets ;  although  it  is  right 
to  say  that  mine  were  hollowed  too  much. 

I  started  after  the  pauw  at  my  top  speed,  for  in  spite  of 
the  shot,  it  was  making  good  tracks,  and  I  contemplated 
making  my  supper  off  him.  As  I  advanced  I  was  astounded 
to  see  suddenly  a  young  Matabeli  running  alongside  of  me. 
It  seemed  as  if  he  had  sprung  out  of  the  grass.  With  his 
knobkerry  he  soon  despatched  the  bird. 

The  young  warrior's  unexpected  appearance  was  a  surprise 
as  pleasant  as  it  was  mysterious.  I  was  delighted  to  see 
him.  Now  I  would  again  find  the  spoor,  and  anticipations 
of  a  feast  on  raw  fowl — I  had  no  matches — were  dispelled. 


48  TEE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

Knowing  only  a  few  words  of  Zulu,  I  used  them  to  the  best 
advantage,  by  trying  to  explain  that  I  wished  to  find  the 
waggons'  spoor,  I  mounted  my  horse  and  followed  the 
young  warrior.  He  led  me  straight  to  his  kraal,  where  I 
dismounted,  and  approached  a  group  of  old  men  sitting 
under  the  trees.  They  gazed  at  me  with  the  utmost 
astonishment.  After  an  interview  during  which  I  en- 
deavoured to  make  myself  understood  by  signs,  words 
being  exceedingly  scarce,  I  offered  my  pocket-knife  as  an 
inducement  to  the  head  man  to  send  one  of  his  young  men 
with  me. 

He  agreed,  and  sent  the  young  savage  whom  he  seemed 
to  own  body  and  bones.  The  youth  was  remarkably  cute, 
for  after  we  had  proceeded  a  little  distance  he  feigned 
ignorance  as  to  where  I  wished  to  go,  and  kept  pointing  to 
the  long  pauw  feathers.  I  wanted  to  explain  to  him  that  he 
might  have  them  all  if  he  would  only  show  the  road,  and 
at  length  I  gave  him  them,  much  to  his  delight. 

A  very  fine  specimen  of  muscular  humanity  was  this 
youth.  In  his  right  hand  he  carried  a  sort  of  battle-axe, 
and  in  his  left  hand  some  assegais  and  sticks. 

At  last  we  alighted  upon  the  waggons'  spoor.  I  then  could 
see  how  far  I  had  diverged  from  the  right  direction,  for 
close  to  us  was  the  large  fig-tree  under  which  we  had 
camped  on  the  previous  night.  The  camp  fires  were  still 
smouldering. 

Of  course  I  duly  gave  up  the  knife  in  payment  for  his 
services.  I  was  glad  enough  to  be  once  more  upon  the 
waggons'  spoor,  and  after  some  hours'  riding,  late  in  the 
afternoon,  I  came  up  with  them,  just  in  time  to  prevent  a 
general  hunt  being  made  for  me.  One  boy  had  already 
started  off  in  the  search,  but  Jim,  a  Hottentot,  saddled  up, 
and  went  after  him  like  the  wind. 


LO- BEN'S  EMISSARY.  49 

A  messenger,  sent  by  King  Lo-bengula,  now  arrived 
from  Selous.  The  object  of  his  mission  was  to  escort  us 
past  numerous  Matabeli  maize-fields  and  villages  which 
now  lay  on  our  line  of  march  to  Buluwayo,  the  king's 
town. 

The  messenger  handed  me  a  letter  from  Selous,  which  was 
very  welcome,  because  I  was  extremely  anxious  to  hear  some- 
thing about  the  frame  of  mind  of  the  monarch.  Selous 
said,  "Lo-ben  is  friendly,  and  prospect  fair  for  your  getting 
permission  to  go  through  his  country." 

Lo-ben's  emissary  was  an  immensely  big  fellow,  and  a 
good  type  of  the  young  and  stalwart  Matabeli  warrior, 
looking  as  though  his  life  had  been  passed  in  a  thriving 
land  of  plenty.  His  head-dress  consisted  of  ostrich  feathers 
cut  short,  and  trimmed  so  as  to  form  a  large  rosette,  through 
which  a  long  black  feather  was  stuck.  He  carried  a  black 
ox-hide  shield,  interlaced  with  white  thongs :  he  had  three 
assegais  and  a  knobkerry. 

A  Matabeli  garden  was  close  to  us  on  the  top  of  the 
hill ;  properly  speaking,  it  was  a  patch  of  land  under  culti- 
vation, for  all  the  fields  of  corn  in  this  country  are,  by 
the  white  man,  called  gardens.  The  garden,  which  was 
named  "  Mavuba,"  overlooked  an  immense  valley,  partly 
covered  with  trees,  through  which  the  road  passed.  I  had 
a  hurried  meal,  cooked  by  Sebina,  the  black  girl,  who  had 
accompanied  us  all  the  way.  Crowds  of  Matabeli  people 
came  to  look  at  us,  and  some  of  them  pounced  with  wonder- 
ful avidity  at  the  remaining  feathers  of  the  pauw,  which 
were  long  and  pretty,  being  of  a  greyish  colour,  crossed 
here  and  there  with  white.  They  prize  these  feathers  very 
highly  as  ornaments  for  their  heads,  and  any  one  would 
admit  that  the  decoration  is  remarkably  becoming  to  the 
wild-looking,  black  sons  of  Nature. 

VOL.  I.  E 


50  TEE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

Getting  under  weigh,  and  crossing  the  long  valley,  we 
soon  ascended  the  southern  slopes  of  the  great  granite 
mountains  which  form  the  division  between  the  waters  flow- 
ing to  the  Limpopo  and  Sabia  rivers,  and  to  the  Zambesi. 
We  came  to  a  large  kraal  situated  in  the  open,  and 
having  a  background  of  jagged  rocks.  The  place  is  called 
Magu-buduani.  Here  we  stopped,  and  were  soon  sur- 
rounded by  swarms  of  men,  women  and  children,  to  whom 
our  arrival  was  a  cause  of  much  curiosity. 

Then  began  a  bustling,  chattering  tumult.  The  flurried 
throng  of  men,  women  and  children,  forming  an  excited 
circle  of  naked  humanity,  pressed  closely  around  us  with 
their  marketable  produce,  including  Kaffir  corn  and  meal, 
hemp,  pumpkins,  sweet  reed,  and  so  forth.  For  some  small 
strips  of  cotton  cloth — limbo  it  is  called  by  the  traders — 
we  bought  some  potatoes  and  other  articles.  One  cotton 
blanket  was  given  for  a  goat,  a  transaction  which  occa- 
sioned a  good  deal  of  bargaining.  The  noise  was  tremen- 
dous ;  what  with  husbands  and  wives  quarrelling  about  the 
amount  of  cloth  they  were  to  receive,  girls  chattering  and 
holding  out  their  hands  for  beads,  and  other  uproar,  it 
was  impossible  for  any  one  to  hear  himself  speak. 

The  whole  scene  was  highly  amusing.  The  fun  of  the 
fair  was  noisy,  but  nearly  all  the  people  seemed  to  be 
beaming  with  good-humour.  All  were  well  fed  and  happy. 
One  woman  was  really  pretty,  with  teeth  as  white  as  the 
proverbial  pearl.  She  was  full  of  sprightliness,  and  begged 
most  persistently  for  white  calico  ("ilimbo  elimhlopi") 
and  beads.  A  small  piece  of  white  calico  gave  her  lively 
satisfaction. 

"  I  praise  you  "  (Ngi  ya  bonga),  she  shouted,  as  she  went 
on  her  way  rejoicing. 

Soon  we  left  this  lively  fair.     It  was  nearly  dark,  and 


THE  "NEW   VALHALLA."  51 

we  camped  in  the  forest  beyond.  We  were  now  upon  the 
great  plateau  of  Matabeli-land. 

During  the  next  two  days'  journey  we  passed  the  villages 
of  Inthlathlangela  and  Umganen — the  latter  a  favourite 
village  of  the  king — between  which  were  interspersed 
rich  fields  of  waving  maize.  This  was  a  thickly-inhabited 
district,  for  we  were  now  approaching  Buluwayo,  the  town 
of  the  great  black  king,  Lo-bengula,  the  most  powerful 
monarch  in  South  Africa.* 

My  curiosity  was  greatly  excited  as  we  neared  the  domi- 
cile of  Lo-ben,  who  had  so  much  power  either  to  aid  or 
thwart  my  effort.  His  subjects,  masculine  and  feminine,  of 
all  ages  and  conditions,  flocked  around  the  waggon  in 
scores,  bringing  tobacco  and  many  other  commodities 
likely  to  be  wanted  in  exchange  for  the  coveted  cloth  and 
beads. 

They  escorted  us  until  we  reached  the  "  New  Valhalla," 

the   name  humorously  given  to  the  house  of  Mr.  George 

Fairbairn,  a  Scottish  gentleman  who  trades  in  ivory,  close 

to  the  king's  kraal,  on  the  southern  banks  of  the  Umkhosi 

'  river.     A  hearty  welcome  was  given  me  here. 

The  country  at  the  time  was  full  of  fever,  and  Fairbairn's 
house  was  temporarily  an  hospital.  Several  deaths  had 
occurred  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  on  the  mission 
station,  one  who  succumbed  being  Mr.  Thomas,  who  was 
among  the  first  of  the  white  men  who  came  to  this  country, 
and  who  had  established  a  small  mission  station  of  his  own, 
named  Shiloh. 

On  my  arrival  I  made  inquiries  concerning  the  progress 
of  Whitaker,  the  young  and    adventurous   Canadian,  of 

*  Buluwayo  means  "  the  one  that  is  slain."  Gubuluwayo  is  sometimes 
used,  the  prefix  Gu  or  Go,  signifying  at,  to,  or  from.  Bengula,  the  name 
of  the  king,  means  "  defender,"  the  prefix  Lo  signifying  the. 

E    2 


52  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

whom  we  heard  at  the  Tati   gold  fields  as  having   been 
making  his  way  towards  the  Zambesi. 

"  Ah ! "  said  Fairbairn,  "  we  buried  poor  Whitaker  at 
Hope  Fountain  Mission  Station  a  few  days  ago.  He  was 
very  reluctant  to  take  the  medicines  we  offered  him." 

Fairbairn's  abode  was  very  full ;  but  there  seemed  to  be 
always  room  for  one  more.  Of  course  in  this  country  beds  are 
unknown  articles  of  furniture  ;  cane  mats  being  the  familiar 
couches  for  the  luxury  of  repose.  Thanks,  however,  to  the 
generous  warmth  of  hospitality,  we  were  soon  comfortably 
housed,  although  I  must  admit  that  it  was  with  regretful 
reluctance  that  I  left  the  waggon,  in  which  I  had  spent  so 
many  pleasant  weeks,  even  for  the  better  accommodation 
afforded  by  a  house. 

Fairbairn,  Selous,  and  myself  went  up  to  see  old  King  Lo- 
bengula.     I  was  very  eager  to  know  in  what  sort  of  humour 

was  the  old  gentleman.     A  missionary,  Mr.  S ,  who  had 

had  a  quarter  of  a  century  of  Christian  effort  in  Matabeli- 
land,  and  was  able  to  know  the  character  of  the  people,  had, 
when  we  met  him  in  full  retreat  in  Bechuanaland,  given 
a  dreadful  account  of  the  condition  of  affairs,  saying  that  it 
was  impossible  to  live  in  Matabeli-land  since  the  difficulty 
about  the  hippo  killing.  The  poor  missionary's  beard 
had  been  pulled,  and  he  had  to  suffer  other  indignities 
which  as  an  apostle  of  divinity  he  could  not  brook.  But 
what  special  exemption  could  he  expect  ?  Many  observers 
note  that  after  five-and-twenty  years  of  missionary  labour 
there  are  no  converts  to  the  faith  of  our  fathers.  After  so 
long  a  period  of  profitless  contention  with  a  people  who  are 
both  deaf  and  blind  to  persuasion,  it  could  hardly  be  ex- 
pected that  Mr.  S would  find  more  sympathetic  treat- 
ment than  other  whites. 

Fairbairn  informed  me  that  with  the  payment  of  all  the 


IT  IS    VERY  FAR   AWAY."  53 


fines  the  troubles  about  the  sea-cow  row,  to  which  I  have 
referred,  had  vanished,  and  that  now  the  old  man  was  in  a 
very  good  humour. 

When  we  entered  the  king's  kraal  I  could  see  him 
seated  under  his  roof  porch.  A  few  of  his  people  were 
around.  All  of  us  shook  hands  with  him,  and  were 
received  with  more  courtesy  than  might  be  expected 
from  a  savage  king.  We  sat  on  the  ground  beside  him, 
and  his  prettiest  slave  girls  brought  in  beer.  Kneeling 
before  us  they  would  drink  first,  and  then  hand  the  liquor 
to  us. 

Lo-ben  seemed  very  friendly,  and  evidently  had  quite 
forgotten  the  troublesome  episode  of  the  shooting  of  the  sea- 
cow.  When  Selous  asked  permission  to  enter  tlie  hunting 
veldt,  the  monarch  granted  his  request  with  a  smile, 
remarking,  "  Selous  is  a  young  lion." 

Looking  at  me,  he  then  asked  what  I  was  about  to  do. 
On  being  told  that  I  was  anxious  to  go  through  his  country, 
and  subsequently  through  unexplored  Mashona-land,  to  the 
Zambesi,  he  simply  remarked,  "  It  is  very  far  away." 

A  crowd  of  endunas  began  to  assemble,  and  as  it  was 
clear  that  a  "  big  talk  "  was  about  to  ensue,  we  departed 
without  making  a  further  attempt  to  gain  the  desired  per- 
mission. Walking  to  the  back  of  the  house  we  saw  numbers 
of  hive-shaped  huts,  the  homes  of  the  queens,  the  housing 
of  the  royal  harem. 

Here  was  a  novel  scene  !  Upon  grass  mats  in  front  of  the 
huts  singly,  or  in  bevies  here  and  there,  the  queens  of  the 
Matabeli  reclined  gracefully  and  with  careless  ease,  basking 
their  rather  embonpoint,  but  yet  symmetrical  frames  like 
glossy  seals  lolling  in  the  warmth  of  the  sun.  A  strange  but 
not  unpleasant  odour  filled  the  air,  for  these  queens  are  in 
the  habit  of  scenting  themselves  with  a  perfume  made  from 


54  THE  FAR   INTERIOB. 

wild  flowers  and  herbs  rolled  into  balls  about  the  size  of 
small  apples. 

The  picturesqueness  of  the  figure-grouping,  however,  was 
somewhat  marred  by  the  occupation  of  some  of  the  royal 
ladies,  who  were  imbibing  copious  quantities  of  beer,  and 
eating  largely  of  meat.  Yet  they  were  a  happy-looking  com- 
pany, beaming  with  good-nature,  and  all  running  to  port- 
liness, which  evidently  increased  with  years.  We  sat  down 
and  drank  beer  with  some  of  them.  They  asked  Fair- 
bairn  numerous  questions  about  me,  and  with  feminine 
curiosity  seemed  particularly  anxious  to  know  where  my 
wives  were,  if  I  had  any,  and  if  so  how  many  ?  One  in  a 
jesting  humour  called  to  some  slave  girls  who  passed,  and 
turning  to  me  said  : 

"  Now  choose  a  wife  from  among  these ;  which  shall  it 
be?" 

Fairbaim  was  well  acquainted  with  all  the  queens.  He 
seemed  to  have  entree  into  every  part  of  the  kraal.  It  is  a 
very  unusual  privilege  to  be  allowed  to  walk  through  the 
harem.  Slaves  of  both  sexes  and  of  all  ages  and  sizes  were 
moving  to  and  fro  among  the  huts. 

A  new  house  was  being  erected  for  His  Majesty,  the 
material  being  bricks,  and  the  builder  an  old  British  tar, 
a  Yorkshireman  named  Johnny,  who  years  before,  while 
cruising  on  the  east  coast,  had  suddenly  left  his  ship  of  his 
own  accord,  and  found  his  way  to  the  happier  and  freer 
atmosphere  of  the  far  interior.  Johnny  was  a  genial  soul, 
and  a  very  funny  old  boy.  There  he  stood  slinging  mud 
like  a  Thames  dredger,  and  yet  in  feeling  as  free  and  inde- 
pendent as  an  American  senator.  He  has  built  the  only 
houses  that  are  worthy  the  name  in  Matabeli-land. 

Many  of  the  Matabeli  queens  were  peeping  in  at  the 
windows  of  the  partially-finished  house,  and  evidently  made 


INTERIOR    OF  A    QUEEN'S  HUT.  55 

a  good  deal  of  fun  of  Johnny,  who  would  turn  round  every 
now  and  then  and  give  them  the  contents  of  his  trowel. 

I  was  astonished  to  see  the  interior  of  a  queen's  hut,  which 
had  a  cleanly  black  polished  floor,  and  everything  arranged 
in  the  tidiest  manner.  Floors  are  composed  of  ant-heap, 
ox-blood,  and  cow-dung,  which  when  set  becomes  very  hard. 
The  occupant  of  this  hut  showed  me  how  the  floor  was 
polished,  by  means  of  a  fine  smooth,  round  pebble,  which, 
held  in  both  hands,  was  rubbed  along  the  surface,  the 
operator  spitting  every  now  and  then  to  supply  the  neces- 
sary moisture.  There  was  a  rack  on  one  side  of  the  hut  on 
which  were  placed  numerous  baskets  and  all  sorts  of  little 
tricks,  while  against  the  walls,  neatly  folded  up,  were  the 
cane  mats  on  which  the  dwellers  slept. 

A  queen's  mark  of  distinction  is  unique.  All  of  them 
shave  their  heads  and  wear  at  the  top,  and  well  at  the 
back,  a  small  inverted  cup  of  about  one  and  a-half  inches  in 
diameter  made  of  red  beads.  Bound  their  waists  they  wear 
kilts  of  black  ox-hide,  falling  to  the  knees. 

The  kraal  was  full  of  slaves  who  had  been  caught  during 
war,  and  brought  to  the  king  by  his  fighting  men. 

Some  days  elapsed  before  we  again  visited  Lo-ben,  so 
that  we  had  ample  time  to  think  over  the  plans  which 
might  be  successfully  adopted  in  approaching  him  with  my 
request.  The  most  feasible  seemed  to  be  to  present  him 
with  a  very  elaborate  silver-mounted  sword-knife,  and  a  fine 
bull. 

The  day  arrived  when  we  should  visit  the  king.  We  had 
heard  that  he  was  suffering  from  gout,  doubtless  through 
over-indulgence  in  native  beer.  He  would  soon  leave  for 
one  of  his  other  towns,  so  Fairbairn  and  myself  again 
approached,  and  found  him  encircled  by  a  multitude  of 
endunas.     Preferring  to  await  a  favourable  opportunity  for 


56  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 


our  request,  we  sat  down  beside  the  monarch.  Patience, 
however,  entailed  great  personal  inconvenience.  For  four 
weary  hours  we  sat  drinking  beer  and  trying  to  devour  great 
chunks  of  beef  handed  to  us  upon  the  royal  fork  of  His 
Majesty ;  who,  while  attending  to  the  orations  of  his  people, 
was  busily  engaged  in  gorging  himself  with  a  mass  of  meat 
which  he  held  on  a  fork  in  his  left  hand,  while  with  an 
enormous  carving-knife  he  fanned  off  the  swarming  flies. 
Every  now  and  then  Fairbairn  took  a  sly  look  at  me  to 
see  what  my  powers  of  reception  were  in  the  beef-eating 
line. 

Little  slave  boys,  who  had  only  recently  been  captured, 
and  were  nothing  but  skin  and  bone,  crouched  up  beside 
us,  and  were  glad  to  accept  either  morsels  of  beef  or  drops 
of  beer  that  we  did  not  want.  Gladly  enough  would  I 
have  given  them  the  whole  lot ;  but  I  was  well  aware  that 
the  better  I  proved  a  capacity  for  eating  and  drinking, 
the  more  would  savage  appreciation  smile  upon  me  and 
favour  my  designs.  The  reader,  therefore,  may  be  assured 
that  I  tried  to  be  sufficiently  omnivorous. 

Evidently  a  case  of  no  slight  importance  was  being  heard 
by  Lo-ben.  All  eyes  were  riveted  upon  him,  and  the 
facial  expressions  showed  how  eager  every  hearer  was  to 
catch  even  an  echo  of  the  weighty  words  which  fell  from  the 
monarch's  mouth.  Occasionally,  as  he  conversed  with  the 
assembled  endunas,  Lo-ben  would  utter  some  transcendent 
expression  of  infallible  wisdom,  which  when  given  forth 
would  get  many  responsive  ejaculations  of  acquiescence  and 
sympathy. 

"  Yebo,  yebo,  Kumalo ! "  cried  the  audience.  "  Ye,  hay, 
hay ! "  * 

*  Yebo  means  yes.  Kumalo  is  a  courtesy  title  for  the  royal  family. 
The  other  exclamations  indicate  ajiproval. 


LO-BENGULA.  57 


An  oppressive  subjection  was  evident  among  the  crowd. 
They  sat  willing,  should  the  potentate  so  ordain,  and 
without  a  word  of  remonstrance,  to  see  their  own  brothers 
die  the  death,  for  here  could  be  found  the  most  vivid  illus- 
tration of  the  axiom,  the  "  King  can  do  no  wrong."  It  was 
strangely  noticeable  that  all  who  passed  the  circle  of 
royalty  had  to  cower  to  the  earth,  crouching  as  though  they 
were  about  to  collapse  altogether. 

Sunset  was  approaching,  and  as  everyone,  excepting 
those  immediately  connected  with  the  royal  household, 
were  bound  to  be  outside  by  that  time,  I  was  beginning 
to  fear  a  further  delay ;  but  luckily  the  crowd  dispersed, 
and  as  the  king  seemed  to  be  in  good-humour,  Fairbairn 
deftly  put  to  him  the  momentous  question.  A  frank 
permission  was  the  response ;  I  was  to  be  allowed  to 
travel  freely  through  the  country.  After  this  I  presented 
Lo-ben  the  sword-knife,  giving  him  at  the  same  time  the 
promise  of  a  fine  bull,  for  the  purchase  of  which  I  had 
already  negotiated. 

"  You  may  go  through  my  country,"  he  said,  "  but  it  is 
very  far  to  the  Zambesi." 

I  thanked  him,  and  bade  him  good-bye. 

"  Go  well,  son  of  the  sea,"  was  his  reply. 

I  thought  this  parting  benediction  of  old  Lo-ben  was  far 
from  being  devoid  of  poetry ;  but  strangely  enough  I  soon 
had  other  examples  of  the  exaltation  in  this  respect  which 
assuredly  characterises  this  remarkable  people. 

As  I  walked  along  with  Fairbairn  the  far-off  western  sky 
blazed  resplendently  across  the  heavens  its  fiery  farewell. 
The  reflected  glow  of  its  light  gave  a  crimson  richness  to 
the  dome-topped  huts  of  the  royal  kraal,  and  gleamed  softly 
through  the  jagged  spaces  of  the  primitive  citadel.  The 
departing  sun  told  that  it  was  time  for  us  to  take  our  leave, 


58  THE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

and  make  our  way  to  the  outer  side  of  the  encircling  fence 
before  the  "  young  men  "  would  let  the  saplings  fall  so  as 
to  unite  the  two  horns  of  the  fortress,  and  make  an  endless 
line  around  the  home  of  the  monarch. 

We  had  almost  reached  the  wide  portals  of  the  enclosure, 
when  suddenly  stentorian  shouts  rent  the  air,  making  us 
pause  in  our  progress.  The  shouts  proceeded  from  a  young 
warrior  who  stood  in  an  attitude  which  reminded  one  of 
Ajax  defying  the  lightning,  looking  a  gladiatorial  figure 
shining  red  in  the  evening  light. 

"  Inkosa  miama ! "  (black  king)  he  exclaimed  ;  and  then 
continued  to  shout  the  following  praises,  which  for  con- 
venience I  will  write  in  English,  with  the  native  equivalent. 

"  Calf  of  a  black  cow !  "     (InJconiama  inkomo !) 

"  Man-eater ! "     (Ihlama  doda  !) 

"Lion!"     {Siluana!) 

"  Thou  art  as  great  as  the  world ! "  (Uena  Ngaga  gelizwe  !) 

"  Thou  who  appeared  when  people  spoke  confusedly ! "  * 
( Uvela  he  vungasa  !) 

"  Star  that  shot  through  the  firmament  in  the  day  of 
Zuangandaba ! "  {Inkanyezi  e  ya  tjega  emini  gwa  Zuan- 
gandaha  !  f) 

"  Thou  art  in  the  plains ! "  %     (Uso  hala !) 

"  Black  mystery ! "     (Indaha  emniama  !) 

"  Thou  who  pierceth  the  sky  that  is  above ! "  (Ihlahe 
Zulu  elipezvlu  /) 

"  Calf  of  the  terrible  ! "     (InJconiama  gesilo !) 

"  The  Letter  Destroyer ! "     (  Usa  pula  ngwalo  l)\ 

*  In  times  of  anarchy. 

t  Zuangandaba  was  the  chief  town  of  Lo-ben's  enemies  in  the  time  of 
the  civil  war,  and  he  conquered  it. 

X  He  did  not  hide. 

§  The  word  ngwalo  has  reference  to  a  correspondence  of  Lo-ben  and  his 
endunas  with  Sir  T.  Shepstone  respecting  Kuruman,  the  rightful  heir. 


VULGAR  BEER!  59 


"  He  crossed  the  great  desert ! "     (  Wa  ddbula  Ihalihali  I) 

"  The  black  duck  of  Umzilagazi ! "  (Itata  elimniama 
eliga  Umzilagazil) 

"  The  black  calf  of  Buluwayo ! "  {Itoli  elimniama  la  gica 
Buluwayo  !) 

Such  were  the  pseans  sung  lustily  at  the  gate.  Fairbairn 
and  myself  waited  a  little  to  listen ;  but  getting  tired  of  the 
endless  shouts  we  pushed  on  homewards,  the  vehemence  of 
the  sound  lessening  and  dying  as  we  proceeded. 

At  the  time,  when  I  heard  the  interpretation  of  the  sen- 
tences, I  could  not  help  thinking  how  barbarously  delight- 
ful was  the  poetry  of  this  warlike  race !  Their  songs  in 
laudation  of  their  king  were  disinterested  songs  of  praise. 
Perhaps  a  new  Utopia  was  here,  in  which  love  was  true 
and  loyalty  unselfish.  I  was  particularly  told  that  the 
people  would  come  great  distances  to  sing  the  praises  of 
Lo-ben. 

Was  there  any  ulterior  motive  ?  The  truly  disinterested 
man  cannot  be  found  among  us  whites ;  was  devotion  so 
true  an  attribute  of  the  blacks,  and  flattery  at  last 
sincere  ? 

I  asked  Fairbairn  about  the  matter. 

"  Oh,"  was  his  reply,  "  the  old  man  gives  them  uxuala !  " 

Bah !  that  was  it.  The  poetry  was  gone.  Vulgar  beer  ! 
Not  a  spark  of  the  divinity  of  poetry !  Henceforth  I  would 
not  believe  in  exceptional  blacks,  but  would  regard  them 
as  ordinary  mortals,  as  plain,  practical  men,  with  common 
cravings  and  with  modes  of  gratifying  them  similar  to  those 
of  the  human  family  generally. 

Eeturning  to  the  "  New  Valhalla  "  we  had  a  good  supper 
on  sheep's  head  and  trotters,  which  I  enjoyed  all  the  more 
seeing  that  my  mind  was  relieved  from  all  doubts  and  fears 
regarding   the   obstructions  which,  with  good   reason,  had 


60  TEE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

been  prophesied  to  occur  here,  but  were  dispelled  through 
the  courteous  sanction  and  friendly  demeanour  of  the  much- 
dreaded  Lo-bengula. 

The  kraal  or  town  of  Buluwayo  is  situated  on  the  outer 
side  of  a  great  elliptic  enclosure  of  about  half  a  mile  in 
length,  which  is  entirely  occupied  by  royalty,  its  adherents 
and  belongings. 

Once  a  year  in  this  immense  enclosure  a  great  dance — 
Inxwala — takes  place.  It  is  a  national  event,  and  is  con- 
sidered the  first  and  most  martial  sight  in  South  Africa. 
The  king  stands  in  the  centre  of  his  6,000  warriors,  who  are 
bedecked  with  ostrich-feather  capes  and  otter-skin  turbans, 
their  arms  being  the  assegai  and  the  shield.  Various  war- 
like evolutions  are  gone  through,  such  as  darting  their 
glistening  weapons  swift  through  the  air,  as  all  the  warriors 
join,  and  together  tap  their  shields  with  rhythmic  beat, 
shouting  and  singing  the  while  the  song  of  the  assegai  and 
the  praises  of  the  great  black  king. 

"  Come  and  see  at  Majobana's ;  come  and  see  1 
Here  is  the  display,  display  of  the  assegai ! 
Come  and  see  at  Majobana's ;  come  and  see !" 

Then  stamping  one  foot,  and  pointing  the  assegai  towards 
the  heavens,  they  exclaim  in  chorus,  "Sh — shu — shu," 
which  literally  means,  "  We  stamp  out — we  will  conquer ! " 
This  they  never  tire  of  repeating. 

I  was  told  that  year  after  year  the  number  of  warriors  at 
this  dance  is  diminishing.  Opposing  factions  have  assumed 
or  are  assuming  proportions  which  forebode  a  troublesome 
future   in  the  reign  of  the  present  king.*     The  scions  or 

*  Lately  I  have  heard  from  Matabeli-land  that  much  strife  and 
bloodshed  have  occurred.  In  April  1885  the  king  sent  an  impi  to 
Lake  Ngami,  in  the  west  of  his  country,  in  reality  for  the  purpose 
of  acquiring  a  large  stock   of  cattle,   the  lung-sickness  of  late  years 


MASSACRES.  61 


connections  of  royalty  are  not  permitted  to  have  very  large 
kraals.  Their  conduct  is  often  a  source  of  danger.  Three 
months  previously  to  our  visit,  Lo-ben  put  to  death  his 
uncle,  Usikuana,  and  all  his  kraal,  comprising  about  forty 
people,  a  doom  which  was  brought  on  through  the  uncle 
exercising  privileges  which  were  only  permitted  in  the 
royal  circle  to  the  king  himself. 

Another  massacre,  which  was  found  to  be  in  order,  re- 
sulted in  the  merciless  annihilation  of  a  number  of  families. 
On  the  death  of  XJmzilagazi,  the  father  of  Lo-ben,  the  body 
was  buried  with  all  the  deceased's  effects.  His  wao-o-ons 
and  everything  he  had  possessed  were  thrown  into  a  cave 
called  Ntumbani,  which  is  the  name  for  the  grave  of  a 
king.*  Near  to  this  last  resting-place  of  royalty  a  kraal 
was  erected,  and  the  inhabitants  were  told  to  watch  the 
sepulchre  that  it  might  not  be  disturbed.  But  on  burning 
the  high  grass  to  clear  the  ground  for  harvest,  an  evil  wind 
arose,  turning  the  relentless  flames  towards  the  grave  of 
the  old  conqueror,  until  it  was  licked  clean  of  everything, 


having  thinned  the  Matabeli  herds.  The  army  returned  in  August,  but 
not  triumphant.  Many  lives  had  been  lost,  but  not  a  single  head  of  cattle 
was  brought  to  the  expectant  king,  who  was  very  angry,  and  accused  the 
warriors  of  cowardice  and  also  of  robbing  and  burning  a  white  man's 
house,  a  crime  which  was  committed  against  his  strict  injunctions.  Tliis 
shows  the  justness  of  the  dealings  of  Lo-ben  in  relation  to  the  white 
man;  for  he  decreed  that  for  this  particular  breach  of  discipline  the 
endunas  should  pay  the  full  loss,  in  cattle.  My  informant  also  said  that 
on  the  day  previous  to  that  on  which  he  wrote,  a  fight  had  occurred 
between  the  Imbezu  and  the  people  of  another  town  about  the  ownership 
of  a  boy.  Before  the  combatants  could  be  separated  about  twenty  were 
killed  and  a  lot  wounded,  "  So,"  says  the  writer,  "  this  shows  you  what 
a  bloodthirsty  lot  we  live  among." 

*  The  word  Ntumbani  literally  means  small  mountain  or  hill.  The 
people  are  so  superstitious  that  they  dare  not  speak  of  the  death  or  grave 
of  a  departed  potentate.  Hence  the  indication  of  the  sepulchre  is  included 
in  the  name  Ntumbani. 


62  TEE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

the  ironwork  alone  remaining  to  tell  the  tale  of  destruction. 
For  such  neglect  there  could  be  but  one  punishment.  So 
at  early  dawn  the  executioners  fell  upon  the  unfortunate 
watchers,  closing  their  earthly  career,  and  sending  their 
spirits  to  the  crocodile  and  the  hippo.  Dogs  and  all  were 
slain. 

The  morals  of  the  Matabeli,  from  a  British  standpoint 
(which  would  take  a  Lord  Chancellor  to  expound,  and  an 
archbishop,  at  least,  to  exemplify),  are  unquestionably  in  the 
lower  scale.  But  in  this  respect  they  are  far  from  being 
beneath  other  types  of  the  African  races.  Polygamy  is  a 
recognised  custom  amongst  them.  Wives,  in  fact,  mean 
wealth  :  their  number  is  a  sign  of  greatness  in  the  husband. 
I  would  say  that  there  is  no  immorality,  for  the  knowledge 
of  sensual  vice  has  no  dwelling  in  the  really  savage  mind. 
His  natural  passions  are  not  stimulated  by  subtle  charms. 
He  is  not  a  hlase  creature,  but  a  simple  son  of  nature,  free 
and  strong  in  the  robustness  of  his  manhood.  There  is  no 
socialism,  for  various  grades  exist,  as  they  do  in  other 
countries;  but  the  king's  license  is  regulated  so  that  his 
subjects  are  not  compelled  to  be  vicious  instead  of  natural. 

Fever  was  very  prevalent  in  the  country.  The  missionaries 
were  suffering  greatly ;  and,  much  to  my  sorrow,  my  friend 
Selous  was  brought  down  by  a  very  bad  attack. 

We  heard  repeatedly  the  dismal  moans  of  the  black  people 
when  in  the  early  morning  they  bewailed  for  their  dead 
friends  as  they  Avent  forth  to  bury  them. 

Selous'  attacks  were  frequent,  and  very  severe.  It  is 
wonderful  with  what  rapidity  a  strong,  tough  man  can  be 
reduced  to  a  state  of  childlike  weakness.  Pluck  is  most 
important  in  battling  against  this  strange  malady.  Any 
one  who  has  the  slightest  fear  is  almost  sure  to  succumb. 
But  my  friend  was  not  troubled  with  the  latter  feeling,  for 


M.    COMTE  DE  LAPANOSE.  63 

while  exploring  in  remote  regions,  where  neither  medicine 
nor  even  the  common  necessaries  of  life  could  be  obtained, 
he  had  pulled  through  a  succession  of  fevers  which  would 
have  killed  the  strongest  of  men. 

During  our  stay  here  we  sometimes  rode  to  the  mission 
stations,  and  to  some  of  the  principal  kraals.  While  on  one 
of  these  excursions  we  encountered  a  French  gentleman 
living  in  a  small  shanty,  with  a  few  Kaffir  huts  near  his 
door,  at  which  he  sat  in  his  shirt-sleeves,  for  he  had  evidently 
been  preparing  his  dinner.  He  appeared  to  be  perfectly 
happy,  although  his  mode  of  life  was  indeed  a  great  change 
from  the  brilliant  gaieties  of  Paris.  I  discovered  him  to  be 
M.  Comte  de  Lapanose. 

Time  was  passing,  I  thought  somewhat  unprc^tably.  It 
was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  I  procured  a  cart  of  very 
small  dimensions.  Keeping  in  view  the  fact  that  I  inevit- 
ably would  have  to  abandon  this  mode  of  conveying  my 
stores,  I  did  not  wish  to  have  the  encumbrance  of  a  waggon. 
The  cart  looked  quite  unsuitable  for  a  journey  such  as  I  was 
about  to  attempt.  But  making  up  my  mind  that  we  would 
get  through  somehow,  I  fitted  it  up  as  well  as  I  could  with 
some  kind  of  makeshift  gun-racks  and  other  conveniences. 

The  load  consisted  of  blue  and  white  calico,  and  beads  of 
different  colours  (these  commodities  being  the  necessary 
articles  of  exchange),  some  coffee,  tea,  and  sugar  (a  very 
limited  supply),  rifles,  and  ammunition.  Some  idea  of  the 
slenderness  of  the  store  of  trading  goods  and  provisions  may 
be  arrived  at  when  I  say  that  the  total  weight  of  everything 
on  board  was  450  lbs.  The  cause  of  this  was  that  the 
conveyance  would  certainly  have  to  be  abandoned,  and 
carriers  become  a  dernier  ressort. 

It  was  now  about  the  middle  of  May.  Selous  having 
quite  recovered  from  his  serious  attack  of  fever,  started  on 


64  TEE  FAR  INTEBIOR. 

a  hunting  trip  towards  the  Mababe  and  the  Chobe  rivers, 
which  lay  about  two  months'  travel  to  the  far  west.  I  was 
very  sorry  to  say  "  good-bye,"  for  we  had  "hit  it  off"  to- 
gether most  pleasantly.  We  had  many  exciting  hunts,  and 
those  weeks  I  spent  in  his  waggon  I  shall  never  forget. 
Neither  shall  I  forget  the  help  he  afforded  me  in  over- 
coming many  vicissitudes  which  necessarily  confront  one 
who  begins  a  journey  of  this  description.  "  Your  principal 
difficulty,"  he  said  at  parting,  "  will  be  in  getting  carriers. 
Remember  you  don't  take  any  Matabeli  men,  as  in  that 
case  you  will  be  sure  to  have  trouble  with  the  Mashona 
tribes." 

Next  day,  in  company  with  Fairbairn,  I  rode  over  to 
Umganen,  whence  the  king  had  gone  to  recover  from  his 
fit  of  gout.  A  trader  whom  we  met  there,  Stewart  by  name, 
was  thoroughly  versed  in  the  Matabeli  tongue,  so  I  seized 
the  opportunity  of  getting  him  to  interpret  a  few  questions 
which  I  wished  to  ask  the  king,  seeing  that  I  had  already 
imposed  on  Mr.  Fairbairn's  good-nature  to  a  very  great 
extent  in  interpreting  for  me  at  all  my  previous  interviews. 

This  seems  to  be  a  fitting  place  to  say  something  of 
Lo-bengula.  He  is  the  son  and  successor  of  the  great 
and  warlike  Umzilagazi,  the  redoubtable  conqueror  of  the 
country,  and  the  founder  of  this  nation.  His  wife — 
Lo-ben's  mother — was  a  Swazi-Zulu. 

Lo-ben  is  about  eight-and-forty  years  of  age.  When  a  boy 
he  herded  bucks  in  the  Transvaal,  at  the  time  his  father  was 
achieving  conquests  in  the  north.  Kuruman,  another  son, 
and  the  rightful  heir,  when  quite  young  had  been  secreted 
in  some  spot  far  from  the  country,  a  common  custom  with 
savage  heirs-apparent,  to  avoid  the  probability  of  their 
being  assassinated,  or  some  other  evil  befalling  them. 
When  Umzilagazi  died,  Kuruman  could  not  be  found,  and 


MAJESTY  MAKING   MEDICINE.  65 

it  was  supposed  by  many  that  he  was  dead.  Lo-bengula, 
as  the  second  son,  was  then  made  king,  the  report  going 
forth  that  Kuruman  had  died  in  the  Transvaal  during  the 
previous  year.  But  on  more  than  one  occasion  I  have 
heard  that  there  are  still  those  who  cling  to  the  idea  that 
Kuruman  yet  lives,  although  he  has  never  dared  to  come 
forward  to  claim  his  rights  as  king. 

If  he  still  lives,  his  caution  or  cowardice  may  be  due  to  a 
vow  which  was  made  by  all  the  natives  at  the  coronation 
of  Lo-ben — a  vow  which  announced  that  the  name  of 
Kuruman  should  die,  that  all  who  spoke  of  him  should 
also  perish,  for  now  Lo-bengula  was  king  of  the  Matabeli 
for  ever. 

I  met  a  man  who  had  been  sent  to  fetch  from  the  east 
coast  the  salt  water  used  as  an  ingredient  in  majesty- 
making  medicine.  I  tried  to  get  some  information  out  of 
him  regarding  the  east  coast  lands,  but  although  he  was  of 
a  very  communicative  disposition,  he  evidently  thought  my 
questions  irrelevant ;  so  he  amused  us  by  relating  tales  of 
hunting  the  lion  and  other  beasts,  in  which  pursuits  he  had 
evidently  distinguished  himself  with  the  assegai.  It  is  a 
favourite  sport  with  these  people  to  attack  the  lion  with 
spears.  All  over  his  body  this  man  was  a  mass  of  scars,  but 
they  had  not  injured  him  much.  According  to  my  custom, 
I  strung  him  up  on  the  ivory  scales,  and  found  that  he 
turned  200  lbs.  He  had  not,  I  should  say,  an  ounce  of 
superfluous  flesh. 

In  conversation  with  the  king,  through  Mr.  Stewart,  I 
asked  him : 

"  What  is  the  law  of  Hlonipa  ?  " 

"  My  mothers-in-law,"  responded  the  king,  "  cannot  look 
upon  my  face ;  they  must  cover  their  faces  when  they  pass 
me ;    they   cannot   use   any    word   resembling   my   father 

VOL.  I.  F 


66  TEE  FAR   INTERIOR, 

Umzilagazi's  name.  For  instance,  for  the  word  amanzi 
(water)  they  would  substitute  the  word  mialia,  for  angazi 
(I  do  not  know)  they  would  say  anganC* 

"  What  is  the  law  with  reference  to  twins,"  I  inquired. 
"  Do  not  the  Bechuana  and  Basuto  kill  them  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  was  the  reply,  "  the  Bechuana  do,  but  we  let  them 
live ;  it  makes  no  difference  with  us.  With  the  Bechuana, 
when  the  lower  teeth  of  any  child  appear  first  it  is  all  right 
— a  good  sign  ;  but  when  the  upper  front  teeth  appear  first 
it  is  bad,  and  they  kill  them,"t 

"  What  do  you  think  becomes  of  you  after  you  die  ?  "  was 
my  next  question. 

"  The  Zulus  believe,"  replied  the  king,  "  that  they  turn 
into  some  wild  animal." 

From  the  way  he  spoke,  I  could  infer  that  Lo-ben  did 
not  himself  believe  this ;  at  any  rate,  it  did  not  seem  to 
trouble  his  mind. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  the  missionaries  and  their  belief?" 
I  asked. 

"  I  suppose  it  is  right,"  said  Lo-ben,  "  because  they  say 
so  ;  but  then  they  are  paid  for  saying  so." 

At  this  juncture  a  man  came  in,  and  bending  before  the 
king  reported  that  sixty  more  cattle  had  died  of  lung  sick- 
ness, a  plague  that  is  very  prevalent  throughout  South 
Africa.  I  heard  that  over  fifteen  hundred  head  of  cattle 
were  reported  dead  to  the  king  in  one  week.  The  man's 
announcement  had  the  effect  of  checking  our  conversation. 
I  imagined,  however  that  Lo-ben  had  little  sym2)athy  with 
missionary  efforts.     One  of  the  missionaries  had  told  him  of 

*  This,  however,  I  found  to  be  an  ordinary  rule  in  savage  etiquette — a 
rule,  but  not  a  law. 

t  The  reason  of  this  is,  that  they  think  if  the  child  grows  up,  bad  lack 
and  calamity  will  attend  the  kraal;  all  will  lose  their  hvcs,  the  man 
alone  surviving. 


A   PARTING   DINNEIt.  67 

a  heaven  abounding  with  milk  and  honey.  This  was  a 
mistake.  Such  an  ideal  is  hardly  compatible  with  the 
blood-thirsty  appetite  of  this  tribe  of  warriors,  who  are  not 
allowed  to  touch  milk  after  coming  to  man's  estate.* 

On  resuming  our  conversation,  I  asked  the  king  what  the 
war-cry  was.  He  was,  perhaps  naturally,  reluctant  to  state 
that  of  his  particular  tribe,  but  told  me  that  every  tribe  had 
a  cry  peculiar  to  itself.  Mr.  Stewart  then  asked  him  about 
the  name  "  Amandabeli." 

" Amandabeli,"  said  Lo-bengula,  "is  an  Abusuto  word, 
the  proper  name  for  my  people  is  Zulu." 

This  ended  our  interview  with  the  king.  I  bade  him 
good-bye,  and  he  said :  "  When  you  come  back  to  my 
country  I  will  send  boys  to  meet  you."  We  parted  as  the 
best  of  friends,  his  farewell  words  being  : 

"  Go  pleasantly,  and  come  back  quickly,  son  of  the  sea !  " 

On  our  return,  Fairbairn,  Stewart,  old  Johnny  and  myself 
had  a  parting  dinner  together  at  the  "  New  Valhalla." 

The  king,  generally  speaking,  had  a  very  fair  notion 
of  Britons,  distinguishing  them  readily  from  the  Boers, 
whom  he  invariably  holds  in  great  contempt.  One  day 
Fairbairn  had  puzzled  Lo-ben  very  greatly  by  predicting 
an  eclipse  of  the  sun.  He  took  care  to  be  with  the  king 
when  the  phenomena  occurred,  which  was  witnessed  with 
unbounded  astonishment,  the  monarch  having  scorned  to 
entertain  the  idea  that  a  prophecy  of  this  description  could 
be  realised,  except  as  a  purely  accidental  verification  of  the 
word  of  the  white  witch. 

Often,  however,  he  would  say,  "  You  white  men  are  very 
artful,  but  you  cannot  cure  the  fever." 

*  It  is  stated  that  the  Matabeli  warriors  are  fed  on  raw  meat,  but  this 
is  inaccurate.  There  is  a  certain  ceremony  gone  through  at  the  great 
dance  at  which  they  ciit  pieces  of  raw  flesh  from  the  hving  ox. 

V  2 


68 


THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 


Upon  the  following  day  I  was  to  begin  my  travels  alone. 

Morning  brought  a  good  deal  of  busy,  bustling  work. 
It  took  some  time  to  pack  the  cart  and  to  fix  the  rifles 
firmly  in  the  racks  in  case  of  breakage  should  an  upset 
occur,  which  was  more  than  likely,  as  the  vehicle  to  my 
eyes  looked  very  rotten ;  indeed,  from  the  first,  I  did  not 
like  the  appearance  of  the  thing. 


Sagwam.  Karemba.    Korana  John.     Taroman. 

I'he  *'  Faithfuls." 


Windvogel. 


Now  to  describe  my  party — all  told.  Korana  John  was  to 
be  my  driver,  interpreter  and  companion,  for  he  could  speak 
broken  English ;  then  there  was  a  Makololo,  called  Taroman, 
whom  I  styled  the  india-rubber  man ;  a  Makalaka,  named 
Sagwam ;  a  Mashona,  named  Karemba,  of  whom  I  have 
spoken  before,  and  a  Bushman,  the  higher  ape,  as  I  dubbed 


WHY,   MAN,   HE'S  DRUNK!''  69 


him,  a  creature  of  disputed  origin,  and  a  very  extraordinary 
mortal,  whose  fancies  in  dress  lay  entirely  in  the  line  of 
head  ornament,  for  he  bedecked  his  marvellously-formed 
cranium  with  all  sorts  of  articles,  chiefly  feathers.  This 
character  had  many  names,  among  others  WindvogeL* 

The  party  was  small,  but  I  had  learned  that  to  take  a 
following  of  Matabeli  people  would  be  fatal  to  progress, 
besides  being  dangerous,  as  they  were  constantly  at  war 
with  their  neighbours. 

Preparations  being  over,  and  everything  complete  and 
ready  for  the  start,  I  despatched  the  little  caravan,  and 
after  a  lapse  of  a  few  hours  Fairbairn  and  myself  started 
after  it  on  horseback.  When  we  were  within  half  a  mile 
of  the  Umkhosi  river  I  was  astounded  to  see  John  coming 
along  toAvards  us  looking  as  though  he  had  been  grossly 
insulted. 

"  Great  thunder  !  what  is  the  matter  ?  Something  broken 
on  that  old  rickety  cart,  I'll  be  bound  !  " 

I  noticed  that  John's  face  had  lost  a  shaving  of  its 
outer  covering,  and  from  his  general  limp  appearance  I 
concluded  that  he  had  been  wrestling  with  the  cart,  and 
decidedly  had  come  off  second  best,  hence  his  extreme 
indignation.  Much  to  my  disgust  and  astonishment  Fair- 
bairn quietly  said : 

"  Why,  man,  he's  drunk  !  " 

Just  at  that  moment  a  little  Matabeli  boy  came  running 
up,  and  said  that  he  had  found  my  driver,  interpreter  and 
companion  having  a  serious  fight  with  a  thorn  bush.  By 
this  time  he  was  making  such  a  row  that  there  could  not 

*  I  think  it  necessary  to  give  these  particulars  regarding  the  party,  so 
that  the  reader  may  become  familiar  with  their  names,  as  they  each  have 
an  incidental  individuality  during  the  journey  onwards.  Besides  this, 
they  were  now  ray  only  companions. 


70  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

be  the  slightest  doubt  that  the  cursed  black  snake  had 
found  its  way  to  my  party  in  some  surreptitious  fashion. 

The  misgiving  that  first  flashed  through  my  mind  was 
a  fear  lest  my  chronometer  and  rifles  had  been  broken. 
While  shaking  his  head  in  a  most  dismal  manner,  John 
kept  on  reiterating  the  doleful  tidings  that  the  cart  was 
in  the  river,  the  news  being  varied  by  strong  declarations 
that  he  was  not  drunk ! 

Arriving  at  the  river  we  found  that  our  conveyance  had 
become  a  total  wreck.  The  dissel  boom  had  broken  off 
short.  Fortunately  the  cart  was  not  actually  in  the  water, 
but  it  stood  just  tipped  on  the  brink  of  the  high  bank. 
With  the  tools  I  had  I  at  once  went  to  work  to  repair  the 
dissel  boom.  John  sat  amidst  a  group  of  admiring  blacks 
who  had  followed  in  the  wake  of  the  cart,  and  who  seemed 
beside  themselves  with  delight  at  the  entertaining  scene. 
His  ailment  had  reached  the  whimpering  stage,  and  he 
tried  to  show  his  penitence  by  intermittent  fits  of  weeping 
and  swearing,  while  ever  and  anon  he  would  send  forth  a 
spasmodic  and  violent  shriek. 

The  heat  was  extreme,  but  I  worked  as  hard  as  I  could, 
and  in  due  time  finished  the  repairs.  Happily,  nothing 
important  had  been  broken  or  lost;  the  rifle-racks  had 
proved  an  immense  success.  Now,  however,  I  made  up  my 
mind  that  a  decrepit  cart  of  this  description  was  wholly 
unfitted  for  the  journey  upon  which  I  was  only  now  at  the 
threshold.     A  waggon  must  be  had,  but  where  ? 

Inspanning  the  oxen  we  crossed  the  river,  and  after 
making  camp  and  giving  John  instructions  to  await  for  my 
return,  I  rode  back  to  my  friend  Fairbairn's  house.  Ever 
ready  to  assist,  he  at  once  came  to  the  rescue,  offering  me 
his  light  waggon.  Mr.  Stewart,  whose  waggons  were  close 
beside  Mr.  Fairbairn's  house,  kindly  lent  me  his  oxen,  so 


IN  THE   WAGGON.  71 


that  before  night  I  was  in  a  position  to  despatch  the 
waggon  to  the  place  where  John  was  camped.  Afterwards 
we  spent  the  evening  in  talking  over  the  country,  its  people, 
■  'leir  habits  and  customs.  I  was  up  betimes :  the  sun 
',  id  not  yet  risen,  and  the  leaden  mists  of  dawn  were 
h  mging  over  the  cosy  little  domicile  of  the  New  Valhalla 
when  I  bade  a  last  farewell  to  the  place  and  to  my  friend 
Fairbairn,  under  whose  hospitable  roof  I  had  spent  so  many 
pleasant  days,  and  whose  friendly  aid  had  helped  me 
onward. 

Mounting  a  very  good  little  horse,  I  galloped  off  towards 
the  Umkhosi  river,  and  reached  the  waggon- camp  just  as 
the  sun  peeped  up  in  the  eastern  horizon. 

John  had  his  head  tied  up  in  a  red  pocket-handkerchief. 
He  was  a  picture  of  woe,  and  no  doubt  felt  very  "  coppery." 
His  forehead  was  all  torn  through  his  plungings  in  the 
thorn-bush.  I  could  not  help  thinking,  when  I  looked  at 
him,  of  a  wooden  god,  with  the  paint  badly  rubbed  off, 
which  I  had  seen  in  a  Chinese  joss-house.  But  I  asked  no 
questions,  neither  did  I  condole  with  him  on  his  pitiful 
appearance,  busying  inyself  with  the  transference  of  all 
the  goods  from  the  cart  to  the  waggon,  the  former  being 
returned  with  Mr.  Stewart's  oxen  to  Mr.  Fairbairn. 

Once  we  were  off  I  felt  relief,  even  happiness.  The  feeling 
of  rolling  along  over  four  firm  wheels  was  infinitely  better 
than  sittiag  haphazard  on  the  front  of  a  small,  over-loaded 
cart,  giving  frequent  chances  of  coming  abruptly  to  grief  by 
being  precipitated  between  the  Hind  legs  of  an  irascible  ox. 

A  difficulty  which  I  had  hardly  foreseen  soon  became 
apparent.  The  six  very  small  oxen  which  had  barely  been 
able  to  draw  the  cart,  were,  of  course,  far  from  being  equal 
to  the  work  of  dragging  a  waggon  through  the  heavy  river- 
beds that  lay  ahead  of  us.     My  only  chance  of  procuring 


72  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

trained  oxen  was  at  Shiloh,  twenty-two  miles  distant,  so  we 
pushed  on  with  all  haste,  and  that  evening  we  arrived  at 
the  house  of  Mr.  Thomas,  the  gentleman  to  whom  I  referred 
as  having  just  died  of  fever  when  we  were  at  Buluwayo,  and 
the  father  of  the  young  man  who  was  killed  with  Captain 
Paterson's  party.  Mr.  David  Thomas,  the  deceased's  eldest 
son,  gave  us  a  hearty  welcome.  He  was  a  brother  of  the 
young  trader  whom  I  had  met  at  Zeerust,  in  the  Northern 
Transvaal. 

In  1878,  Sir  Theophilus  Shepstone,  administrator  of  the 
Transvaal  territory,  wrote  to  King  Lo-Bengula,  complaining 
of  some  assumed  grievances  of  the  traders.  The  delivery 
of  the  letter  was  entrusted  to  Captain  Paterson,  who  was 
accompanied  by  Mr.  Sergeant.  The  contents  of  the  missive, 
as  well  as  the  conversation  with  Lo-ben,  were  somewhat 
injudicious,  judging  from  the  written  copy  of  the  trans- 
actions which  is  in  my  possession.  They  could  not  fail  to 
arouse  the  suspicions  of  the  endunas,  as  well  as  the  doubts 
of  the  king.  The  "  big  talk  "  ended  in  nothing  but  bad 
feeling. 

Captain  Paterson,  Mr.  Sergeant,  and  party,  resolved  to 
make  a  journey  to  the  Victoria  Falls  of  the  Zambesi,  if 
permission  could  be  obtained,  and  with  this  object  they 
asked  the  assistance  of  Mr.  Morgan  Thomas,  who  was  ac- 
quainted with  the  native  tongue.  Lo-ben's  reply  to  the 
request  for  permission  to  go  through  the  country  was  to 
the  effect  that  Captain  Paterson  should  first  return  with 
the  message  to  the  great  Queen,  after  which  he  might 
return  and  make  a  journey  to  the  Falls.  Invariably 
friendly  to  the  white  man,  Lo-ben  doubtless  gave  this 
advice  knowing  the  hostile  attitude  of  his  endunas,  whose 
wildest  suspicions  were  aroused  by  the  extraordinary  mission 
from  the  British. 


PATERSON'S   TRAGEDY.  73 


Influence,  however,  at  length  seemed  to  prevail  with  the 
king,  and  Captain  Paterson,  Mr.  Sergeant,  and  ]\Ir.  Morgan 
Thomas  left  on  a  journey  towards  the  Falls,  Lo-ben  pro- 
testing to  Morgan's  father  against  his  allowing  his  son  to 
accompany  the  party, 

A  month  after  the  party  had  left,  Usinduana,  a  Matabeli, 
returned,  giving  news  that  on  the  eighteenth  day  of  their 
journey  they  had  suffered  greatly  from  thirst,  and  having 
entered  the  country  of  Zanki,  called  Ubenanzwa,  of  the 
tribe  of  Amaholi,  one  of  whom  they  encountered,  they, 
against  the  man's  will,  compelled  him  to  show  them 
where  water  was  to  be  found.  Thereupon  he  led  them 
to  a  pool  in  the  mountains,  and  all  being  parched,  they 
drank  immoderately.  Very  shortly  every  member  of  the 
party  fell  sick,  the  result  being  the  death  of  Captain 
Paterson,  Mr.  Sergeant,  Mr.  Morgan  Thomas,  and  seven 
coloured  colonial  servants. 

My  informant  respecting  this  occurrence  was  the  brother 
of  Morgan  Thomas,  who  was  one  of  the  victims.  The 
messenger  who  brought  the  news  also  reported  the  death 
of  five  of  the  Matabeli  escort.  White  traders  and  others  in 
southern  Matabeli-land  asked  permission  to  go  and  bury 
the  dead,  but  Lo-ben  would  not  grant  the  request. 

Evidence  respecting  the  matter  was  very  conflicting,  and 
young  Mr.  David  Thomas  has  spared  no  pains  in  trying  to 
unravel  the  mystery.  To  divulge  a  secret  of  the  king's 
meant  immediate  death,  but  a  man — the  brother  of  a  rain 
doctor — privately  said  to  Mr.  David  that  when  Umlugulu, 
the  headman  of  the  town  of  Oyengweni,  arrived  with  his 
party  at  the  king's  kraal,  they  were  despatched  by  Lo-ben 
to  overtake  Captain  Paterson's  party  and  destroy  them. 
Usibigo,  the  man  who  explained  this,  said  that  Captain 
Paterson's    mission    was   distasteful    to    Lo-ben    and    his 


74  TEE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

endunas.  This  story  was  corroborated  by  Umhelo,  who 
belonged  to  the  town  of  Buluwayo,  and  was  of  the  king's 
regiment — Amahlogohlogo. 

The  voluminous  evidence  which  Mr.  Thomas's  journal 
contains,  and  also  the  word  of  men  living  in  Matabeli-land, 
and  who  belonged  to  the  party,  distinctly  proves  that  the 
people  were  not  poisoned,  but  assegaied  by  order  of  the 
king,  who  was  compelled  to  act  in  accordance  with  the 
wishes  of  his  endunas.  Bearing  in  mind  his  fair  dealings 
with  the  white  man,  however,  it  may  be  assumed  that  the 
order  was  involuntary  on  his  part. 

I  must  say  that  this  was  the  only  place  in  Matabeli-land 
where  I  observed  signs  of  any  real  industry.  The  endeavour 
to  make  a  home  and  improve  was  very  apparent.  Young 
Mr.  Thomas  worked  hard,  and  had  a  large  tract  under  culti- 
vation, with  plenty  of  fruit-trees — banana,  orange  and  lemon 
— all  bearing  well.     He  also  irrigated  on  a  small  scale. 

Such  a  man  may  well  be  emulated  by  the  black  people 
who  live  around  his  home ;  but  industrial  emulation  is  not 
one  of  the  predominant  traits  of  their  character,  which  looks 
up  to  excellence  in  the  art  of  war  as  the  only  goal  of  life's 
purpose.  I  must  be  excused  for  thinking  that  a  man  who 
shows  the  fruits  of  his  labour  in  a  form  so  substantial  and 
comprehensible,  should  in  time  be  able  to  exercise  a  very 
powerful  influence  over  the  warlike  aborigine.  He  manifests 
in  a  tangible  way  that  there  is  something  real  in  the  white 
man's  ascendancy,  showing  that  it  is  not  a  mere  matter  of 
story,  but  a  fruitful  experience,  carrying  with  it  the  bless- 
ings of  prosperity,  and  indicating  that  there  is  something 
true  in  the  labours  of  that  best  pioneer  of  civilisation  and 
progress— the  practical  teacher  of  the  gospel  of  Work. 

Mr.  Thomas  kindly  said  that  he  would  assist  me  in  any 
way  he  could.     The  oxen,  however,  that  he  was  good  enough 


LONDON  MISSIONARY  STATION.  75 

to  offer  as  a  loan  were  at  the  mission  station,  Umlilangeno 
or  Inyati,  twenty-five  miles  to  the  north-east.  So  saddling 
np  the  horses,  and  sending  the  waggon  on  with  the  same 
oxen,  we  started. 

The  weather  had  looked  very  threatening ;  heavy  black 
clouds  went  scudding  across  the  sky,  and  just  as  we  arrived 
at  Mr.  Elliot's  house  (the  mission  station)  they  suddenly 
burst,  and  down  poured  the  rain  in  torrents.  When  the 
waggon  arrived,  the  boys  all  looked  miserable  enough. 
This  station  is  the  last  outpost  of  the  London  Missionary 
Society.  The  mission  has  been  in  Matabeli-land  for  about 
a  quarter  of  a  century. 

Mr.  Elliot,  a  most  estimable  gentleman  who  is  now  alone 
at  this  station,  will  make  a  good  impression  upon  the 
natives,  for  he  is  an  excellent  doctor,  and  willing  to  dispense 
all  kinds  of  medicine  if  the  people  will  only  accept  it. 

We  were  most  fortunate  in  collecting  twelve  good  oxen, 
the  property  of  Mr.  Thomas,  to  whom  I  was  and  am  indebted 
for  this  as  well  as  many  other  favours.  Had  he  not  come 
to  my  aid  at  that  time,  I  do  not  know  what  could  have  been 
done,  trained  oxen  being  very  scarce. 

As  I  now  had  little  or  no  hope  of  seeing  a  white  face  for 
a  very  long  time,  or  of  being  able  to  procure  any  of  the 
articles  necessary  for  exploration  work,  I  busied  myself  for 
the  next  tvvo  days  in  preparing  sketch  maps,  drawing-pad, 
and  so  forth,  and  also  made  some  observations  of  the  sun 
to  find  the  variation  of  the  compass,  and  test  that  all  the 
instruments  were  in  working  order.  Mrs.  Elliot  kindly 
made  me  many  nice  things  for  the  road,  and  on  the  evening 
of  the  27th  of  May  all  was  in  readiness  for  a  start. 

The  kindness  shown  to  me  by  all  was  remarkable.  When 
I  took  leave  of  Inyati,  and  was  saying  good-bye  to  the 
mission,  Mr.  Elliot  said,  as  he  handed  me  a  letter  : 


76  THE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

"  Should  you  reach  the  Lakes  in  safety,  please  deliver  this 
letter  to  the  missionaries  there.  You  will  be  the  first  to 
convey  words  of  greeting  from  us  here  to  those  in  the  Lake 
regions,  who  are  working  in  the  same  good  cause." 

In  the  morning  the  weather  had  cleared ;  for  the  last 
time  I  bade  adieu  to  my  white  friends.  With  unearthly 
shouts  and  yells  from  Korana  John  (who  had  quite  recovered 
his  senses,  and  was  using  his  great  cattle-whip  with  startling 
effect),  and  the  oxen  straining  in  the  yokes,  we  headed  to 
the  north-east,  and  were  soon  hidden  in  the  dense  gloom 
of  the  forest.  The  sun  was  sinking  as  we  camped  in  a  small 
tree-environed  plain,  where  we  could  hear  the  welcome 
music  of  a  small  rill  of  crystal  water. 


(     77     ) 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE   "BIG   game"   COUNTRY. 

Stocking  the  larder — My  "  C.  L.  K."  rifle — A  zebra  hunt — "  Gijiina, 
gijima!" — Hollow  bullets — An  unpleasant  ducking — ^The  mountains 
between  the  Zambesi,  Sabia  and  Limpopo — Difficulty  in  liun  hunting 
— Humours  of  ox-driving — The  Sepaque  river — Out  of  the  track — - 
Clearing  under  difficulties — Elephant  spoor — Fruitless  pursuit — Umvuli 
river — A  catalogue  of  miseries — Story  of  Windvogel's  victim — John  and 
the  wolf — Lion  incidents — A  dangerous  ford — An  elephant  hunt — The 
honey-bird's  note  of  warning — Thrilling  moments — A  good  day's  work 
— Kaffir  gluttony — Game  and  honey — Selous'  deserted  camp  of  1883— 
Taroman  missing. 

Our  party  was  now  so  small  that  every  man  liad  his  special 
work  "  cut  out :"  the  occupation  of  hunter  devolving  upon 
myself.  The  reader  may  be  assured  that  every  eifort  was 
made  to  keep  the  larder  well  stocked.  As  yet  the  majority 
of  African  mammalia  had  not  appeared  in  my  records  of  the 
chase,  so  that  everything  had  the  subtle  charm  of  novelty ; 
and  we  were  now  in  a  great  game  country.  Anything 
between  a  duiker,  with  its  tiny  feet  and  diminutive  horns, 
and  the  gigantic  African  elephant,  with  its  world-coveted 
tusks  and  formidable  ears,  which  could  be  likened  to  the 
wings  of  a  gigantic  eagle,  might  at  any  time  become  the 
object  of  the  chase.  It  is  not,  however,  a  part  of  the  purpose 
of  the  present  work,  to  deal  largely  with  descriptions  of 
hunting  adventures.  Already  much  has  been  written,  and 
well  written,  in  various  works  devoted  entirely  to  the  subject 
of  the  wild  and  exciting  sports  of  Africa.     Now  and  then. 


78  TEE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

however,  I  must  refer  briefly  to  a  few  of  the  principal 
trophies  in  sport  which  fell  to  my  rifle. 

The  weather  was  lovely,  the  thermometer  registering  on 
an  average  50°  at  sunrise,  and  in  day-time  from  75°  to  85°  in 
the  shade. 

We  held  an  average  course  N.E.,  passing  numerous  rivu- 
lets which  give  their  waters  to  the  rivers  flowing  north- 
wards to  the  Zambesi.  Forests  of  machabele,  the  food  of 
which  the  elephant  is  so  fond,  mopani  and  other  strange 
varieties  of  trees  were  passed  in  our  route. 

As  a  rule,  I  left  the  waggon  in  the  morning,  Karemba 
being  my  only  companion :  our  arms  consisting  of  a  shot- 
gun and  500  Henry  express  rifle,  the  latter  being  ycleped 
C.  L.  K.,  the  initials  being  those  of  my  father,  the  weapon 
having  been  a  present  from  him  when  I  left  home.  A 
most  valuable  article  it  proved — certainly  the  most  valuable 
in  my  whole  outfit ;  becoming  the  life  of  the  expedition, 
through  being  the  means  of  supplying  to  the  party  the 
necessaries  of  existence,  all  through  the  long  journey  until 
I  reached  the  sea. 

Late  one  afternoon,  when  the  sun  was  fast  nearing  the 
tops  of  the  tall  forest  trees,  we  came  upon  a  large  herd  of 
zebra  (Burchell  zebra).  The  herd  was  quite  150  yards  off, 
and  had  evidently  been  frightened,  for  they  were  going  at  a 
good  pace.  The  chance  for  stalking  therefore  was  gone ; 
but  I  fired  at  the  leader,  and  having  aimed  carefully 
at  the  shoulder,  was  astounded  to  find  that  the  shot  had 
not  the  slightest  result.  I  at  once  made  up  my  mind  that 
I  had  missed  him;  but  Karemba  kept  saying,  "gijima, 
gijima,"  which  meant  run,  run,  and  although  thinking  the 
pursuit  a  forlorn  hope,  I  started  off  at  my  best  speed 
through  the  tall  rank  grass,  which  in  some  places  was 
higher  than  my  head.     After  a  run  of  nearly  half  a  mile  I 


HOLLOW  BULLETS.  79 


began  to  feel  utterly  "  winded."  But  Karemba  pointed  to  a 
small  clump  of  trees,  and  there,  sure  enough,  stood  the 
zebra.  I  gave  him  another  shot,  and  away  he  went  again, 
spinning  along  another  500  yards,  during  which  other  three 
shots  were  sent  after  him.  I  then  began  to  think  that 
my  long-tried  powers  of  endurance  would  soon  come  to  an 
end,  but  to  my  surprise  and  satisfaction  the  zebra  fell ; 
Karemba  then  making  quick  work  in  despatching  life  with 
an  assegai.  Afterwards  I  discovered  that  nothing  gave 
greater  satisfaction  to  Karemba  than  the  act  of  extinguish- 
ing life. 

Examining  the  fallen  zebra,  I  found  that  the  first  and 
second  shots  had  both  hit  the  shoulder.  The  bullets, 
however,  being  hollow,  had  been  flattened  to  the  thinness  of 
a  sixpence.  This,  and  many  other  experiences,  j)roved  that 
such  bullets  were  nearly,  if  not  quite,  useless  for  game 
possessing  the  extraordinary  vitality  which  distinguishes  the 
zebra  and  the  antelope  of  Africa.  In  this  matter  I  remem- 
bered some  words  of  Selous,  who  remarked  that  the  bullets 
were  hollowed  too  deep,  and  that  the  lead  at  the  apex  was 
insufficient. 

Darkness  was  falling  when  Karemba  and  myself  left  the 
scene  of  our  adventure.  We  hurried  off  in  the  hope  of 
being  able  to  find  the  waggon  on  the  south  bank  of  the 
Goque  river.  But  on  arriving  at  the  drift,  on  the  south 
bank,  where  the  hunters'  waggons  always  cross,  Karemba 
said  that  the  waggon  must  have  gone  on  to  the  north  side. 
There  was  a  good  deal  of  water  in  the  river,  and  as  Karemba 
was  almost  nude  I  got  upon  his  back  and  guided  him 
forward.  He  stopped  at  the  brink  like  a  donkey  at  a  fence. 
Without  comprehending  what  he  said  I  urged  him  on,  and 
very  soon  down  we  went  into  a  deep  pool.  I  fell  off  my 
carrier's  back,  and  just  at  the  same  moment  the  fact  struck 


80  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

me  that,  of  course,  all  these  silent  river  pools  were  infested 
by  the  slimy  and  loathsome  crocodile.  At  once  it  flashed 
across  my  mind  that  this  was  the  cause  of  Karemba's  un- 
willingness to  cross,  although  the  poor  fellow  had  spoken 
in  words  which  I  could  not  understand. 

It  was  very  dark,  and  the  sensation  of  immersion  was 
anything  but  pleasant.  Scrambling  out,  however,  we  soon 
came  up  to  the  waggon,  where  we  found  John  seated  beside 
an  immense  fire,  comfortably,  and  in  dignified  leisure  enjoy- 
ing his  evening  smoke.  John  informed  me  that  it  was  not 
safe  to  wade  in  these  rivers.  He  was  under  the  impression 
that  I  was  ahead,  otherwise  he  would  have  waited  on  the 
southern  side. 

Much  to  the  delight  of  the  boys  (male  servants,  no  matter 
what  may  be  their  age,  are  always  "  boys "),  the  next  day 
was  spent  in  cutting  up  meat  and  drying  it  in  the  sun. 

We  were  now  passing  through  a  forest  country,  with 
granite  kopjies  here  and  there  breaking  through  the  alluvial 
land.  Towards  the  south-east  we  beheld  the  rugged  chain 
of  the  granite  mountains,  which  form  a  conspicuous  and 
clear  dividing  line  between  the  waters  of  the  Zambesi  and 
the  waters  of  the  Sabia  and  Limpopo  rivers.  Away  to  the 
north-west,  about  a  day's  march,  was  the  tsetse-fly  country, 
which  abounds  in  big  game  of  every  description. 

We  soon  lost  the  spoor  of  the  hunters'  waggons  which 
had  gone  in  towards  the  Hanyane  river  a  year  ago,  and 
which  Selous  had  told  me  to  follow ;  for  by  that  means  I 
would  be  enabled  to  reach  the  borders  of  Mashona-land  in 
the  shortest  possible  time. 

A  little  to  the  north  of  the  Gwailo  river  we  stijck  fast  in 
a  small  swamp.  Oxen  are  often  of  a  very  stubborn  dis- 
position, which  some  of  ours  on  this  occasion  showed  to 
perfection  ;  but  I  could  plainly  see  that  the  poor  beasts  had 


SIGNS   OF  LIONS.  81 


a  rough  time  before  them  during  the  next  month,  for 
the  rivers  which  we  had  already  crossed  had  tested  their 
strength  with  painful  pitilessness. 

Various  ramblings  in  search  of  game  showed  the  spoor 
of  lions  and  leopards,  also  their  lairs.  Lions  I  think  must 
have  been  plentiful ;  but  it  was  almost  impossible  to  got 
at  them  without  dogs,  as  the  grass  was  then  so  high  that 
there  was  some  difficulty  in  distinguishing  even  the  largest 
antelopes.  On  one  occasion,  however,  while  on  the  way 
back  to  the  waggon,  I  came  across  a  troupe  of  harte-beest, 
and  bowled  one  over  as  it  ran  past.  Following  in  hot 
haste,  I  saw,  with  no  slight  surprise,  that  I  had  a  com- 
panion in  the  chase,  in  the  shape  of  a  yellow  dog,  which 
seemed  to  enter  with  great  gusto  into  the  spirit  of  the  sport. 
The  half-starved  angular  figure  of  the  tyke  was  not  un- 
familiar to  me,  as  many  a  time  had  he  spoilt  my  oppor- 
tunities for  a  shot.  So  as  he  bounded  through  the  grass  I 
took  a  snap  shot  at  him,  with  the  intention  of  giving  him  a 
good  scare ;  but  much  to  my  amazement  the  shot  took 
effect,  killing  him  in  an  instant.  I  was  really  very  sorry 
for  this  mishap ;  especially  as  the  Kaffir  boy  to  whom  the 
dog  belonged  looked  so  dreadfully  unhappy  when  he  heard 
of  the  demise  of  his  hot-bottle,  the  favourite  being  one  of  a 
group  which  huddled  together  at  night  in  order  to  sustain 
their  warmth.  However  some  cloth,  a  few  beads,  and  a 
large  chunk  of  meat  soon  dispelled  the  sorrow  and  lightened 
the  heart  of  the  mourner. 

John  having  informed  me  that  he  was  ill,  I  now  for  the  first 
time  in  my  life  assumed  the  responsibilities  of  an  ox  driver. 
Many  and  many  a  time  had  I  used  the  short-handled  cattle 
whip  employed  in  herding  on  the  western  prairies  of 
America,  but  I  had  never  used  the  gigantic  and  indispensable 
whip  common  to  all  South  African  caravans.     In  becoming 

VOL.  I.  G 


82  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 


initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  its  use,  I  left  numerous 
marks  upon  my  face  and  neck,  and  was  more  than  once 
nearly  strangled.  While  vigorously  pressing  on  the  lead- 
ing oxen  I  would  fall  heels  over  head  into  some  deep  hole. 
Sometimes  the  oxen  would  wheel  quickly  round,  rushing 
through  the  forest  and  breaking  the  young  trees,  while  the 
old  waggon  rolled  along  like  the  grounding  of  a  wrecked 
balloon.  When  evening  came  after  such  experiences  I  felt 
as  though  I  had  been  mobbed  and  hustled  at  an  election. 

At  the  crossing  of  any  of  the  large  river-beds,  how- 
ever, John's  aid  was  indispensable.  He  could  crack  the 
whip  and  make  a  report  like  an  Armstrong  six-pounder; 
while  his  shouts  and  fiendish  yells  resounded  wildly  through 
kopjies  in  such  a  manner  that  even  the  hoarse  roar  of  a  fog- 
horn, or  the  shrill  shriek  of  a  steam-whistle  would  have  had 
no  chance  against  him. 

By  this  tir&e  we  had  an  enormous  supply  of  the  zebra  and 
harte-beest  meat  stowed  in  the  back  of  the  waggon,  in  un- 
comfortable proximity  to  the  place  where  I  slept.  The 
odour  reminded  me,  in  an  uncertain  sort  of  way,  either  of 
Wombwell's  Menagerie,  No.  1,  or  of  Smithfield  Market ; 
perhaps  neither  of  one  or  of  the  other,  distinctly,  but  a  little 
of  both.  The  boys,  however,  and  the  dogs  had  plenty  to 
eat,  and  thus  a  chance  of  getting  fat  and  hiding  their  stark 
staring  ribs  which  stuck  out  so  prominently  when  we  left 
Invati. 

As  we  trekked  further  towards  the  north  the  nights 
became  much  colder.  After  fording  the  Sepaque  river, 
and  passing  the  heavy  pool  through  the  Umnyati,  two  of 
our  oxen  became  footsore,  so  that  the  strength  of  the  span 
was  now  reduced  to  ten. 

The  caravan,  otherwise,  was  becoming  somewhat  demoral- 
ised. We  had  now  completely  lost  the  tracks  of  the  hunters' 


CUTTING    THROUGH  FOBEST.  83 

waggons.  Having  gone  too  far  to  the  north,  we  were  com- 
pelled for  days  to  cut  our  way  through  the  forest,  and  this 
heavy  work  had  to  be  carried  out  with  a  single  small  hand 
hatchet,  as  our  equipment  for  foot  travelling  was  as  light  as 
I  possibly  could  have  it,  and  was  totally  wanting  in  heavy 
axes  or  other  implements  suitable  for  clearing.  This  ^^<)rk 
was  very  wearisome,  although,  fortunately,  the  trees  were  of 
slight  dimensions.  As  we  neared  the  Umzwezwe,  some 
of  the  country  through  which  we  passed  was  exceedingly 
rocky.  Numerous  kopjies,  like  piles  of  broken  stone,  edged 
the  river  on  its  southern  bank. 

The  lessening  rays  of  the  setting  sun  were  kissing  the 
tops  of  the  mopanis  when  we  descended  towards  the  river. 
Far  in  the  eastern  sky  the  moon  was  rising,  and  the  view 
from  the  spot  where  I  stood  in  the  centre  of  the  ^^'ater  \vas 
beautifully  striking.  Lower  and  lower  the  sun  sank  in  the 
horizon,  casting,  mirror-like,  over  the  sky  its  ever  varying 
hues  of  lovely  colours.  On  each  side  of  the  position  rose 
precipitous  banks,  while  luxuriant  foliage  hung  gracefully 
over  the  silent  pools  of  the  stream,  which  in  otlier  places 
dashed  in  crystal  clearness  and  in  merry  mood  through  the 
countless  boulders  and  jagged  rocks  which  formed  the  ford 
over  and  through  which  we  had  to  pass.  A  picture  so 
lovely,  glowing  beneath  the  glories  of  so  beautiful  an 
evening  sun,  I  have  rarely  seen. 

On  the  succeeding  day  we  came  across  the  spoor  of  what 
was  evidently  a  large  troupe  of  elephants.  Trees  were 
uprooted,  and  their  branches  brokiiu,  while  great  boulders 
were  unearthed.  Some  of  the  broken  trees,  must  have  been 
snapped  by  the  united  strength  of  two  or  three  of  the 
animals.  John  and  myself  went  on  the  spoor  from  morning 
till  night,  but  returned  to  camp  with  nothing  except 
ravenous  appetites.     The  weather  was  cold,  so  that  "unless  we 

G  2 


84  TEE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

found  the  spoor  very  early  in  the  morning,  the  chances 
were  against  our  finding  the  elephants — I  believe  they 
will  travel  great  distances  in  cold  weather,  without  the 
mid-day  halt  which  they  invariably  make  during  the  days 
of  heat. 

Several  hunting  excursions  of  this  nature  were  taken. 
On  returning  from  one  of  them,  an  incident  occurred  which 
may  deserve  notice.  John,  unconsciously  of  course,  walked 
straight  up  to  a  wolf  which  lay  asleep  amid  the  long 
grass.  The  appearance  of  the  recumbent  animal,  which 
seemed  rather  reluctant  to  move,  took  John  thoroughly 
by  surprise ;  so  much  so,  indeed,  that  he  stood  stock  still, 
and  uttered  some  screams  so  thrillingly  horrible  that  by 
imitating  them  the  divine  Sara  herself  might  have  given 
to  her  audiences  a  new  and  telling  experience  of  terror. 
Running  up,  for  the  shrill  notes  of  the  man's  awful  voice 
had  struck  the  chords  of  my  inmost  feelings,  I  saw  the  wolf 
— a  large  one — bounding  through  the  grass.  I  took  a  flying 
shot,  but  only  grazed  the  brute.  He  gave  a  growl,  and 
with  another  bound  disappeared  amid  the  sea  of  impene- 
trable vegetation. 

"  My  gaut,  master,"  said  John ;  "  I  tink  it  was  lion  !  " 
The  waggon  was  camped  under  some  large  trees,  upon  a 
favourite  spot  for  hunters,  who  usually  left  their  impedi- 
menta there,  before  going  down  into  what  is  called  the  "  Fly 
Country  "  (referring  to  the  tsetse  fly)  to  look  for  big  game. 

At  this  spot,  too,  was  the  grave,  covered  with  wild 
creepers,  of  one  who  had  died  by  the  capricious  hand  of 
Windvogel,  the  bushman,  or  the  higher  ape,  as  he  has  been 
called.  Here  Windvogel  was  initiated  into  the  mysteries 
of  shooting;  his  first  experience  resulting  in  the  fall  of  a 
playmate,  whom  he  shot  stone  dead  in  an  instant.  The 
event  occurred  only  a  few  years  previously,  and  even  now 


WINDVOGEL'S    VICTIM.  85 

the  reckless  assassin  looked  like  a  boy ;  but  on  my  saying 
so  to  John  he  answered  : 

"  Master,  he  is  an  olt  man,  and  a  very  bad  leetle  man." 

The  course  of  the  crime  was  as  follows :  Arming  himself 
with  a  regular  Baron  Munchausen  blunderbuss,  which  be- 
longed to  the  father  of  the  poor  boy  he  killed,  he  started 
for  the  hunting  country  which  was  not  more  than  one  hun- 
dred yards  from  where  the  waggons  of  his  party  stood.  He 
soon  "  cut  the  spoor  "  of  his  playmates,  and,  knowing  well 
his  game,  he  gave  them  warning  that  he  was  about  to  lire. 
The  others,  being  unarmed,  found  they  were  handicapped, 
and  bolted.  Unfortunately,  however,  the  "  higher  ape's " 
first  shot  was  a  bull's-eye,  and  ended  the  life  of  his  poor 
playmate.  Perhaps  he  felt  towards  his  young  Korana 
comrade  as  the  Boers  felt  towards  his  forefathers,  when, 
but  a  few  short  years  before,  they  would  go  out  in  search 
of  bushmen,  and  considered  them  "  fair  game." 

This  adventure  led  to  the  bushman's  being  "  christened  " 
in  a  somewhat  rough  and  ready  manner.  Tied  to  a  waggon 
wheel,  in  the  cruel  fashion  practised  by  the  Boers,  when 
their  jaundiced  humours  are  more  than  usually  acute,  he 
was  christened  Windvogel ;  the  recollection  of  the  christen- 
ing being  impressed  upon  the  subject  by  the  stinging  lash 
of  the  shambock,  a  name  given  to  a  rhinoceros-hide  whip. 
This  ceremony  reminds  one  of  the  manner  in  which  game- 
keepers "  christen  "  a  dog.  When  this  story  was  laid  before 
the  king,  he  ruled,  as  was  the  custom  of  the  land,  that  the 
father  of  the  slain  boy  could  either  kill  his  slayer  or  keep 
him  as  a  slave.  It  was  in  this  way  that  Windvogel  fell  into 
John's  hands  whose  slave  he  now  was. 

But  to  resume  the  personal  narrative.  Three  days  more 
(June  12)  brought  us  to  the  Umvuli  river.  Our  catalogue  of 
miseries  was  pretty  full.    John  was  sick  ;  two  oxen  Avere  foot- 


86  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

sore ;  Karemba  had  been  kicked  by  one  of  the  oxen,  which 
he  had  been  endeavouring  to  throw  in  order  to  examine 
its  feet ;  Windvogel,  the  "  higher  ape,"  had  dysentery,  and 
lay  on  his  face  writhing  and  groaning  with  pain,  by  all 
odds  the  most  dismal  and  dejected  looking  creature  I  ever 
set  eyes  on;  Sagwam  had  the  sulks;  and  Taroman,  the 
india-rubber  man,  had  so  over-eaten  himself,  that  he  gave 
up  looking  after  the  sheep  and  cattle,  and  overcome  like  a 
cobra,  with  an  overcharged  stomach,  had  lain  down  to  sleep 
and  so  lost  the  live-stock. 

The  old  drift  through  the  river,  where  the  hunters' 
waggons  used  to  cross,  had  been  scoured  out;  leaving  a 
deep  hole  on  the  south  side,  while  in  the  centre  of  the 
water  was  a  high  mound  of  soft  sand,  making  the  place 
quite  impassable.     The  banks,  too,  were  very  steep. 

Under  these  peculiarly  adverse  circumstances  a  short 
halt  had  to  be  made.  But  as  it  was  still  early  in  the  day 
we  made  the  best  use  of  our  time,  by  cutting  branches,  and 
by  preparing  a  ford  to  take  the  waggon  over. 

John  and  myself  returned  from  our  work  on  the  river, 
and  were  not  a  little  surprised  that  no  sign  of  life  could  be 
seen  near  the  waggon.  It  was  nearly  dusk,  and  as  neither 
boys  nor  oxen  appeared,  John  and  I  started  in  different 
directions  to  scour  the  country  for  the  absentees. 

This  neighbourhood  abounds  with  lions,  and  consequently 
my  anxious  mind  pictured  horrible  visions  of  the  cattle 
becoming  a  prey  to  the  king  of  beasts.  Only  the  previous 
year,  Selous,  while  hunting  here,  had  stopped  on  the  north 
bank,  his  cattle  being  tied  in  the  customary  fashion,  with 
large  fires  encircling  the  camp,  while  the  boys  were  seated 
in  a  group  close  to  the  animals.  In  a  little  time  a  lion 
came  up  close  in  front  of  the  party,  having  passed  the  fires 
with   the   utmost  indifference.      A  moment  later  the  lion 


DARING    OF  LIONS.  -87 


seized  upon  one  of  the  fattest  of  the  oxen,  and  brought  it  to 
the  ground;  but  the  contents  of  a  double-barrelled  shot- 
gun discharged  at  close  quarters  immediately  checked  his 
meal  and  his  earthly  career  at  the  same  time.  When  a  lion 
is  thoroughly  hungry  there  is  no  limit  to  its  audacity  and 
daring.  I  know  of  an  occasion  about  the  same  place,  of  a 
lion  having  attacked  a  man,  in  the  night  time,  wliile  ho  was 
seated  before  a  blazing  fire. 

After  an  anxious  walk  of  about  two  miles,  I  shouted,  and 
much  to  my  astonishment,  an  answer  came  from  Taroman, 
whom  I  found  under  a  tree  where  he  had  evidently  been 
taking  a  nap.  The  sheep  were  beside  him,  and  in  his  hand 
he  held  an  enormous  chunk  of  zebra.  The  time  was  now 
approaching  when  Taroman  wholly  lost  the  use  of  his  eyes, 
which  were  of  no  service  in  the  slightest  shade  of  darkness. 
On  such  occasions  he  even  could  not  find  his  way,  and  this 
I  discovered  to  be  true  beyond  doubt. 

From  Taroman's  attitude  at  that  time  it  was  evident  that 
he  expected  to  be  thrashed ;  but  as  I  do  not  believe  in 
whipping  or  kicking  as  a  means  to  any  satisfactory  end,  I 
merely  asked  him  about  the  cattle.  In  reply  he  made 
signs  of  a  very  vague  character,  and  I  hurried  back  to  the 
camp  taking  the  sheep  along  with  me,  not,  however,  without 
frightening  Taroman  by  telling  him  to  go  and  search  for 
them,  knowing  as  well  as  he  did  it  was  Lion  Veldt.  When  I 
returned  to  camp  I  sent  a  boy  to  fetch  the  old  humbug 
home.  I  was  aggravated  at  the  time,  for  the  loss  of  the 
cattle  would  have  been  irretrievable.  We  were  twelve  days' 
good  travel  from  Inyati,  and  still  very  far  distant  from  the 
borders  of  Mashona-land.  John  by  this  time  had  found  all 
but  two  of  our  oxen. 

It  was  a  cold  and  stormy  night.  The  wind  blew  with 
terrific  force,  threatening  to  unroof  the  waggon,  and  leave 


88  THE  FAB   INTERIOR. 

only  the  pitiless  canopy  of  heaven  as  a  substitute.  The 
wolves  howled  on  every  side,  one  approaching  very  near  the 
waggon,  although  I  could  not  get  a  shot  at  him,  as  he  was 
wholly  obscured  by  the  shade  of  the  trees. 

The  missing  cattle  having  been  luckily  found,  we,  on  the 
following  day,  about  noon,  made  a  forward  move  towards 
the  ford  which  had  been  prepared.  Starting  down  the  steep 
bank  the  oxen  plunged  into  the  water. 

The  ford  was  chiefly  composed  of  small  branches,  among 
which  the  legs  of  the  animals  sunk  very  deeply.  At  one 
time  both  of  the  hind  oxen  fell,  and  looked  as  though  they 
would  inevitably  be  crushed  by  the  waggon,  the  fore  wheels 
of  which  were  just  on  the  brink  of  the  river,  giving  the 
whole  affair  the  appearance  of  standing  on  end. 

Awful  thoughts  weighed  heavily  upon  my  mind,  regarding 
the  probability  of  a  total  wreck  of  the  waggon  in  the  middle 
of  the  river.  All  hands  had  to  be  piped  to  keep  the  cattle 
in  a  straight  course.  No  one  could  help  feeling  for  the 
poor  beasts  as  they  strained  their  strength  and  contorted 
their  struggling  bodies ;  sometimes  splashing  in  the  pools, 
but  often  sinking  up  to  their  bellies  in  the  soft  and  shifting 
sand.  We  had,  however,  to  get  out  of  the  river,  no  matter 
in  what  fashion. 

While  ascending  the  north  bank,  for  there  was  no  track 
except  that  which  we  had  scraped  out  with  sharpened  sticks, 
the  oxen  in  spite  of  the  efforts  of  Karemba  and  myself,  who 
were  pulling  the  leading  yoke,  suddenly  swerved  to  the 
right,  breaking  through  the  thorn  bushes  on  the  steep 
bank,  and  amidst  the  thicket  we  were  sent  sprawling  and 
scrambling,  to  be  cut  and  torn  by  the  sharp  and  prickly 
thorns. 

At  length,  after  very  hard  work,  and  a  great  many 
demoniacal  shouts  and  yells,  with  the  old  waggon  cracking 


ON  ELEPHANT  SPOOR.  89 


and  creaking,  and  the  oxen  grunting  and  groaning  all  the 
time — the  yoke  stays  threatened  to  choke  them — we  with 
one  grand  final  effort  reached  the  top  of  the  bank. 

After  a  brief  period  of  rest,  we  were  again  on  the  forward 
move ;  and  that  evening  I  breathed  more  freely,  as  I  sat 
before  the  blazing  camp  fire,  and  pondered  over  what  had 
passed. 

One  morning  happy  thoughts  dawned  upon  my  mind 
when  John  said  he  could  see  elephants  in  the  distance. 
At  the  time  we  were  trekking  through  an  immense  sea  of 
yellow  grass,  fanned  by  a  gentle  breeze  into  waving  billows, 
through  which  the  party,  as  it  passed,  left  a  wake  behind, 
like  that  of  an  ocean  steamer  tossing  the  glassy  sea  into  a 
turbulent  foam.  At  intervals  the  grass  was  dotted  by 
thorny  acacias  and  small  clumps  of  trees. 

Sure  enough,  as  John  had  foreseen,  we  shortly  came  upon 
the  fresh  spoor  of  what  seemed  a  large  troupe  of  elephants. 
Anxious  as  I  was  to  press  on  my  journey,  this  was  too  great 
a  temptation  to  resist.  Outspanning  the  oxen,  I  set  out 
with  my  Keilly,  double  eight-bore,*  while  John  accom- 
panied me  with  his  waterpipe,  as  I  termed  it,  much  to 
his  disgust,  although  the  description  was  tolerably  true, 
as  the  weapon  had  a  suspicious  resemblance  to  a  branch 
service-pipe,  and  he  invariably  sluiced  it  out  with  water 
after  the  day's  work.  Karemba  and  Sagwam  were  gun- 
carriers. 

We  were  soon  tracking  up,  and  every  sign  tended  to 
show  that  our  pursuit  would  not  be  a  long  one.  From 
the  zig-zag  appearance  of  the  spoor,  we  judged  that  the 
elephants  were  feeding. 

To  a  hunter  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  the  chase,  there  is 
something  intensely  exhilarating  in  the  feelings  which  are 

•  Eight  drachms  Curtis  &  Harvey's  best,  and  3-oz.  coniciil  bullet. 


90  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

aroused  as  he  nears  these  monarchs  of  the  forest,  who  roam 
free  through  the  wilderness  of  nature,  without  a  consider- 
able rival  save  man.  The  inexpressible  glow  of  excitement 
is  perhaps  a  selfish  feeling ;  but  it  thrills  through  every 
fibre  of  your  system  as  you  approach  nearer  and  nearer  to 
the  object  whose  life  it  is  your  ambition  to  take.  Does  not 
this,  almost  with  vividness  show,  that  the  instincts  of  the 
lower  forms  of  animal  life,  from  which  it  is  said  that  all 
mankind  have  sprung,  bud  out  through  the  higher  intellect, 
even  in  all  its  severely  cultivated  forms  ? 

There  was  a  lull  in  the  wind,  which  is  an  indispensable 
agent  to  a  successful  stalk,  and  close  to  the  left  I  soon 
observed  a  moving  object.  The  dull  leaden  colour  of  the 
elephant  serves  admirably  as  a  protection  from  the  searching 
glance  of  his  pursuer,  and  in  this  he  resembles  most  of  the 
wild  animals,  whose  colour  is  akin  to  that  of  the  vegetation 
in  which  they  live.  There  was  soon  revealed  to  our  view  a 
large  elephant  cow ;  and  I  had  just  brought  my  rifle  to  the 
shoulder,  when  John  pulled  my  sleeve  and  told  me  not  to 
shoot,  because  it  was  a  "kooes-cop,"  i.e.  an  elephant  with- 
out tusks. 

Whether  she  had  scented  us,  or  had  been  startled  by 
the  honey  birds,*  which  continued  to  chirp  and  lead  us  all 
the  way  I  know  not,  but  suddenly,  with  gigantic  strides 
and  curling  her  trunk  close  up  under  the  mouth,  she  made 
off  towards  her  companions,  who  were  standing  huddled 
together  under  some  large  gonte  trees,  fanning  themselves 
with  their  huge  ears. 

There  was  no  time  to  lose.  Happily  the  fugitive  did  not 
trumpet,  so  that  we  were  able  to  get  within  fairly  good 
range  before  she  raised  the  alarm.     I  fired  at  the  nearest 

*  These  little  birds  are  very  troublesome  during  a  stalk,  for  if  the  game 
hear  them  they  recognise  the  cry  as  a  note  of  caution. 


AN  EXCITING   HUNT.  91 


elephant,  and  the  shot  threw  him  into  a  state  of  the  wildest 
excitement,  shown  by  successive  shrill  trumpetings.  Wheel- 
ing round  and  round  he  came  heavily  to  the  ground ;  wliilc 
away  went  the  panic-striken  herd,  sounding  aloud  their  far- 
reaching  bugle-call  of  retreat,  and  clearing  all  before  them. 
I  never  saw  a  quicker  piece  of  roadmaking.  They  literally 
crashed  and  ploughed  their  way  through  the  young  forest, 
piling  up,  on  each  side  of  their  track,  mopani-trces,  stacks 
of  rank  grass,  and  great  heaps  of  scrub  bush. 

Thinking,  and  as  it  proved  rightly,  that  I  had  mortally 
wounded  the  first  elephant,  I  ran  after  the  herd  as  fast  as 
I  could,  and  coming  within  pretty  close  range  fired,  but 
this  time  made  a  bad  shot,  hitting  a  young  bull  too  far 
back,  after  aiming  at  the  shoulder. 

John  was  now  close  to  me  in  hot  pursuit  of  a  cow,  wliich 
he  had  hit  several  times.  She  had  fallen  behind  the  rest 
of  the  herd,  and  just  at  this  moment  had  almost  stopped. 
Turning  towards  us,  John  shouted : 

"  Look  out,  master,  look  out !  " 

At  this  evidently  critical  moment  I  was  endeavouring 
with  all  the  energy  at  my  disposal  to  reload  my  rifle ;  but, 
as  on  many  other  occasions,  of  which  one  or  two  might 
have  cost  me  my  life,  the  empty  cases  had  stuck,  and 
do  what  I  might,  I  could  not  extract  them  for  some 
time. 

Meanwhile  I  heard  other  two  shots,  and  when  I  last  saw 
John  he  was  flying  like  the  wind  through  the  bush,  while 
his  gun-carrier  fled  in  another  direction,  shouting  like  a 
demon.  Karemba  had  left  me,  and  rightly  too,  for  he  was 
unarmed,  and  the  noise  made  by  the  elephants  sounded  as 
though  they  were  actually  upon  us.  Behind,  and  uttering 
sharp  screams,  was  the  first  elephant  I  had  shot,  while  that 
which   John   had   wounded   was   in   front,  dasliing  wildly 


92  THE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

about,  and   trumpeting  with  her  angriest   power,   as  she 
revengefully  searched  for  her  pursuers. 

I  had  not  had  such  a  time  of  excitement  for  many  years. 
I  pulled  and  tugged  at  the  cartridges,  but  for  a  time  all 
such  eiforts  were  of  no  avail.  Amidst  the  confusion,  I 
heard  John  roaring  as  though  he  were  being  torn  limb  from 
limb.  I  had  by  this  time  succeeded  in  reloading,  and,  of 
course,  made  off  at  my  highest  speed,  for  I  really  thought 
that  John  was  caught.  On  getting  up  I  found  that  the 
cow  had  charged  him,  and,  John  having  run  out  of  bullets, 
had  been  obliged  to  take  to  his  heels,  in  order  to  escape 
from  the  infuriated  monster. 

A  lively  time  had  evidently  been  passed,  for  both  John 
and  Sagwam  looked  dreadfully  exhausted ;  the  former,  too, 
was  quite  crestfallen,  because  he  had  lost  his  elephant. 

I  had  but  one  rifle  with  me,  and  a  wounded  elephant 
still  close  by,  but  I  pushed  the  weapon  into  John's  hands, 
and  away  he  went,  at  once,  on  the  blood  spoor.  Hui-rying 
back  to  the  camp,  I  snatched  up  C.  L.  K.,  and  returned  to 
the  wounded  elephant,  which  I  found  standing  under  the 
shade  of  a  large  tree. 

Just  as  I  came  within  range,  however,  I  heard  the  sharp 
report  of  the  eight-bore,  and,  before  my  eyes  down  went  the 
elephant  with  a  heavy  thud.  As  the  animal  was  not  dead, 
I  quickly  ran  up  and  gave  the  coup  de  grace  to  end  the 
poor  brute's  sufferings. 

The  elephant  wounded  by  John  had  been  soon  overtaken 
by  that  worthy  when  he  got  my  rifle  in  his  hands;  and 
after  despatching  it,  he  had  gone  towards  that  wounded  by 
me,  firing  the  shot  I  had  heard  just  as  I  arrived  from  the 
camp  with  C.  L.  K.  After  cutting  out  the  hearts,  we  re- 
turned to  the  camp,  situated  two  miles  north  of  the  Simbo 
river,  and  there  in  dreams  I,  over  and  over  again,  went 


A   LAND    OF  PLENTY.  93 

through  the  eventful  and  exciting  scenes  of  the  day's  hunt, 
chasing  in  nocturnal  fancies  the  phantom  forms  of  multi- 
tudes of  the  forest's  denizens. 

Very  early  in  the  morning  we  were  again  upon  the  scene 
of  yesterday's  exploits,  and  all  hands  went  to  work  cutting 
up  elephant  flesh,  and  chopping  out  the  tusks.    The  Kaffirs, 
according    to   their   custom,   had   a  fire   lit ;    and   during 
their  intervals  of  rest  they  warmed  (it  could  not  be  called 
cooking)  what   they  considered   dainty  morsels   from   the 
inside,  which  they  would  devour  much  in  the  same  condi- 
tion as  they  found  them ;  for  cleansing,  or  any  other  culinary 
preparation,  was  unknown.     As  feeders,  the  Kaffirs  are  the 
foulest  people  imaginable ;  it  is  not  saying  too  much  to 
affirm  that  they  will  eat  nearly  anything,  and  jDretty  nearly 
in  any  condition.     After  they  had  devoured  their  honne 
houc\e,  they  Avould  disappear  once  more  inside  the  carcase, 
in  order  to  cut  out  the  fat,  which  is  much  valued   as   a 
curative  salve  for  rheumatism  and  other  ailments.     Special 
morsels  which  they  came  across  were  taken  out  by  alternate 
members  of  the  party,  in  order  to  be  warmed  at  the  fire  and 
demolished.     Inside  the  carcase  the   happy  rascals  would 
wallow  in  blood,  bathing  and  rubbing  themselves  all  over 
with  it,  which  seems  to  be  a  custom  among  the  people.    The 
blood  is  left  on,  until  it  naturally  wears  off. 

After  we  cut  out  the  first  pair  of  tusks,  we  inspanned 
the  oxen  and  departed ;  telling  Karemba  and  Sagwam  to 
proceed  to  the  carcase  of  the  other  elephant,  and  cut  out 
the  ivory.  On  their  return  to  camp,  they  reported  that  on 
their  arrival  at  the  elephant,  they  found  two  large  leopards, 
"impisi,"  feeding  upon  its  flesh.  I  felt  sorry  I  had  not 
accompanied  the  boys. 

Now  we  were  in  a  land  of  plenty.  Game  was  abundant, 
and   honey   seemed   to   be  inexhaustible.      Whenever  the 


94  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 


boys  had  an  opportunity,  they  would  disappear,  so  that 
they  might  watch  their  little  winged  friends,  the  white- 
backed  honey  guides  {Indicator  major),  the  unfailing  pilots 
to  Nature's  sweetest  stores.  The  honey  was  remarkably 
good,  with  a  strong  flavour  of  wild  flowers. 

From  the  Umvuli  river  we  had  been  followed  by  lions. 
They  could  be  heard  at  night,  bat  did  not  come  close  to 
the  waggon. 

We  were  now  within  two  days'  journey  of  Selous'  farthest 
hunting  camp  to  the  north-east.  Crossing  two  small  rivers, 
the  Sarue  and  Karemwe,  we  took  a  course  more  to  the 
north,  cutting  our  way  through  low,  light  forests,  until  we 
emerged  into  a  beautiful  open,  park-like  country.  The 
variegated  colouring  on  the  trees,  that  hemmed  us  in  on 
every  side,  was  very  striking. 

Away  in  the  far  distance  we  could  faintly  see  the  smoky, 
yellow  haze  of  the  prairie  grass  fires,  lit  by  the  Mashona 
people.  Towards  the  north-east  could  be  seen  the  distant 
leaden  outline  of  the  Umvukwe  mountains,  towering  high 
above  the  level  of  the  plateau.  Of  these  mountains  we 
were  destined  to  know  much  in  the  future. 

A  long  and  very  fatiguing  trek,  tiresome  alike  for  men 
and  oxen,  brought  us  to  a  suitable  spot  where  we  pitched 
camp,  just  as  the  light  of  parting  day  was  throwing  its 
darkening  shadows  from  the  great  forest  trees,  which  sur- 
rounded the  position. 

Another  step  of  the  journey  was  accomplished.  We 
were  now  upon  my  friend  Selous'  deserted  hunting  camp 
of  1883,  situated  at  an  elevation  of  4050  feet  above  the 
sea,  and  on  the  southern  bank  of  the  Hanyane  river;  the 
banks  of  which  were  clothed  with  high  forest,  shutting  out 
our  view  to  the  north.  Taroman,  with  the  sheep,  and  two 
foot-sore  oxen  were  missing. 


SELOUS'   DESERTED    CAMP.  95 

Our  present  position  was  very  far  in  the  interior,  so  far 
indeed  that  henceforth  the  journey  would  be  a  course  of 
exploration. 

What  a  sombre  and  dreary  scene  surrounded  us,  with  its 
quietness  undisturbed,  even  by  the  slightest  tremor  in  the 
voiceless  air !  I  sat  on  the  front  box  of  the  waggon , 
waiting  to  make  an  observation  for  latitude.  Looking 
at  the  flickering  flames  of  fires,  around  which  the  boys 
lay  fast  asleep,  I  could  see  that  the  little  hunting  camp 
had  become  grass-grown,  with  wild  hemp  intermingled, 
while  a  rich  garden  of  pumpkins  studded  the  ground, 
and  creepers  innumerable,  and  of  every  descrij^tion,  hung 
gracefully  from  the  boughs,  kissing  the  tops  of  the  grass 
sugar-loaf  huts,  which  rose  slightly  above  the  netted 
vegetation. 

I  succeeded  in  getting  two  successful  observations  for 
latitude,  and  the  following  day  was  devoted  to  fixing  the 
longitude,  finding  the  variation  of  the  compass,  and  arrang- 
ing other  smaller  matters  with  reference  to  survey  work ; 
for  onwards,  from  this  point,  it  was  my  intention  to  map 
the  country  as  accurately  as  I  could. 


96  TEE  FAR  INTEBIOR. 


CHAPTER  V. 

INTO   MASHONA-LAND. 

Food  supplies — John's  concertina — Stirring  dreams — Protection  at  night — 
John  has  an  eye  to  the  future — We  leave  Taroman  behind — His 
revenge — The  prairie  on  fire — A  close  escape — Matabeli  raids — Sudden 
appearance  of  Mashona  hunters — Chibero's — Description  of  a  Mashona 
stronghold — Matabeli  war  tactics — ^Desolating  results — Advantages 
of  silence — Chibero  is  stubborn — ^The  carrier  difficulty — Stupid  advice 
— Little  Unyamwenda — One  of  Nature's  dungeons — Native  trading — 
Recruiting  volunteers — "Villum"  orChirumutu — Writing  unknown — 
Harassing  bargains — "I  melt  de  fat  of  de  olifant,  Master" — That 
exasperating  fellow  Taroman — Harte-beest  hunting — Mashona  mode  of 
hunting  —  Netting  game  —  General  appearance  of  the  Mashona — • 
Mashona  girls — Weapons — ^The  assegai — A  persecuted  race — ^Diet — 
Cattle — A  dilatory  start — The  waggon  abandoned — "  Tussa,  tussa!" — 
Baggage  for  the  journey — The  body-guard — Taroman  incensed — Help- 
lessness of  the  whites  among  the  blacks — The  company  start  on  foot 
for  the  north. 

Early  in  the  morning  I  sent  John  in  search  of  Taroman, 
whom  I  had  not  seen  during  all  the  previous  day,  when 
I  had  been  hunting.  It  was  not  long  before  John  returned 
with  the  wanderer,  and  also  with  the  missing  oxen. 

"  Master,"  said  John,  "  dat  olt  man  go  back  to  de  olt 
bones  of  de  olifant  what  we  keel !  " 

Taroman's  general  appearance  might  have  led  any  one  to 
believe  that  he  had  spent  the  night  in  a  dust-bin,  for  he 
was  coated  with  an  ashen  hue,  while  his  face  showed  un- 
mistakable signs  that  the  honey-birds  had  piloted  his  steps 
to  sweet  stores  of  plenty.  He  looked  on  this  occasion  as  he 
always  looked  after  a  return  from  absence  without  leave ; 


A    TOUGH  TRUNK.  97 

that  is  to  say,  with  a  guilty  expression  suggestive  of  the  Jog 
which  has  been  hunting  on  its  own  account  in  your  favourite 
pheasantry.  Sometimes  he  looked  as  if  he  had  lost  some- 
thing and  was  anxious  for  an  immediate  search. 

"  Umtagate ! "  (which  means  anything  but  a  gentleman) 
was  the  subdued  chorus  which  rose  from  the  group  of  fire- 
squatters  on  such  reappearances. 

Enquiry  got  no  response  from  this  unrivalled  torment, 
who  generally  excused  himself  by  saying  he  had  heard 
lions.  Perhaps  his  sight  had  left  him  unusually  early  in 
the  afternoon,  and  he  had  sought  refuge  in  a  high  tree, 
where  he  had  spent  the  night.  On  my  suggesting  that  ho 
had  better  go  and  feed,  the  stolidity  of  his  face  thawed  ;  it 
broke  up,  grew  wider  than  it  had  before  been  long,  through 
the  lively  emotions  of  anticipated  bliss. 

We  had  a  very  busy  day.  To  our  stock  of  provisions  was 
now  added  a  number  of  pumpkins,  forming  a  very  welcome 
accession,  as  the  supply  of  vegetables  was  remarkably  poor. 
Of  meat  we  had  a  superabundance ;  the  waggon  was  filled 
with  it,  in  almost  every  variety,  piled  up  in  absolute  con- 
fusion, so  that  everything  appeared  to  be  upside  down. 
Close  beside  my  head,  where  I  rested,  was  an  immense 
piece  of  an  elephant's  trunk.  The  sight  of  it  was  becoming 
tiresome,  but  in  spite  of  the  most  strenuous  efforts  of  the 
boys  they  could  not  "  wear  it  out." 

The  wind  rose  towards  evening,  and  brought  on  a  thick 
mist.  I  was  thoroughly  fatigued,  for  I  had  again  been 
hunting,  and,  notwithstanding  the  confusion  around  me, 
was  glad  to  lay  down  on  my  somewhat  limited  bed,  where 
I  was  lulled  to  sleep  by  the  wildly  erratic  tones  of  Korana 
John's  concertina,  sounding  as  though  it  was  screeching  in 
defiance  of  the  impediment  of  a  chronic  asthma. 

All  the  surrounding   conditions,  and   in  fact  even  the 

VOL.  I.  H 


98  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

atmosphere,  reminded  me  that  we  were  in  a  game  country. 
The  thought  conduced  to  create  thrilling  dreams  of  sport, 
especially  after  a  supper  of  elephant's  trunk,  when  the 
digestive  organs  would  be  sadly  impaired,  and  would  send 
tumultuous  throbs  to  the  brain,  awakening  the  most  awful 
visions  of  imagination.  At  one  time  I  would  be  breathlessly 
creeping  up,  like  a  snake,  to  some  fearful  monster,  and  just 
as  I  came  close  to  him  my  gun  would  not  come  to  the 
shoulder.  In  a  second  he  would  be  upon  me,  but  I  was  off, 
whirling  through  space,  as  though  I  were  shot  from  a 
Krupp;  jumping,  in  one  bound,  rivers  which  had  taken 
hours  to  cross :  and  at  length  dashing  meteor-like  through 
the  ethereal  sky,  only  to  see  my  dreaded  enemy,  in  the 
shape  of  a  larger  world,  directly  before  me,  and  coming 
nearer  and  nearer  with  a  velocity  equal  to  my  own.  Of 
course  just  as  we  were  about  to  collide,  with  terrific  force, 
I  awoke. 

I  then  found  that  the  drawing  board  which  I  was  accus- 
tomed to  place  at  my  head,  to  protect  me  from  the  wind,  as 
it  blew  through  the  waggon  as  if  through  a  funnel,  had 
fallen  upon  my  cranium,  bringing  down  at  the  same  time 
the  lantern,  while  the  sail  flap  at  the  end  of  the  conveyance 
was  lashing  and  cracking  about  my  ears,  being  agitated  by 
the  heavy  gale. 

What  a  gipsy  life  this  was !  But  it  was  pleasant  withal, 
almost  captivating,  for  hitherto  no  real  or  serious  obstacle 
had  come  in  my  way. 

When  morning  broke  the  mist  lifted,  and  the  grey  of  the 
dawn  proved  the  harbinger  of  another  lovely  day  for  our 
journey.  Breakfast,  before  starting,  consisted  of  tea,  and 
about  six  inches  of  elephant's  trunk,  which  I  worked  on 
strenuously  with  my  teeth  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour ;  but 
making  no  impression  upon  the   stuff",  and   noticing  the 


FAT  AND   LAZY.  99 


"  higher  ape"  watching  for  an  opportunity  to  try  his  powers, 
I  flung  the  bit  to  him,  and  saw  it  go  down  his  throat  like  a 
worm  into  a  young  sparrow,  for  by  this  time  he  had  quite 
recovered. 

John  had  succeeded  in  making  a  small  tent-cover  for  my 
bed,  using  for  the  purpose  some  cotton  drill  (trading  stuff 
that  I  carried).  The  cover  was  necessary,  because  the 
dews  were  now  very  heavy  at  night,  and  we  would  soon 
have  to  abandon  the  waggon.  This  was  the  only  way  to 
avoid  having  constantly,  or  rather  as  long  as  the  climate 
would  allow  me,  to  sleep  in  wet  blankets.  Damp  means 
fever. 

I  was  not  sorry  when  the  time  came  to  leave  the  camp,  as 
my  Kaffirs  would  soon  become  useless  through  their  exces- 
sive feasting.  They  had  been  eating  at  every  spare  moment, 
and  the  fire  had  always  a  pot  full  of  pumpkin,  while  long 
pieces  of  meat  were  being  roasted.  The  "  higher  ape  "  at  this 
time  was  a  fearful  looking  picture,  his  outline  resembling 
that  of  a  drowned  man.  Poor  Taroman  had  assumed  the 
aspect  of  a  well-developed  pumpkin,  and  was  forced  to  find 
that  there  was  a  limit  to  the  elasticity  of  the  walls  even 
of  his  wonderful  paunch,  which  he  continued  to  rub  with 
earnest  fervour,  groaning  all  the  time,  as  he  declared  that 
he  had  a  pain  in  his  head !  Like  other  people  in  all  parts 
of  the  world,  it  is  noticeable  that  as  the  Kaffir  grows  fat  he 
becomes  lazy. 

Karemba  was  now  in  his  own  country,  although  his  home 
was  a  great  distance  towards  the  south-east. 

At  6  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  thermometer  registered 
40°,  the  dew  laying  heavy  on  the  grass.  Before  noon  we 
made  a  start,  although  it  certainly  was  rather  difficult,  for 
one  of  John's  harassing  peculiarities  was  his  at  all  times 
far-calculating  disposition ;  his  keen  eye  to  future  business 

H  2 


100  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

being  always  wide  awake,  as  he  thought  of  the  happy  day 
when  he  would  return  to  Buluwayo  with  a  waggon-load  of 
interior  produce.  This  idiosyncrasy  was  at  times  very 
funny.  He  would  often  say,  "  Master,  I  want  harte-beest 
skins,"  but  this  morning  he  had  been  gathering  together 
the  pumpkins,  and  just  as  we  were  about  to  start  he  said, 
"  Master,  I  have  a  beeg  load  on ;  pumpkins  I  am  going  to 
take  back  when  I  go  home.  The  waggon  will  stick  this 
day."  Home,  it  should  be  observed,  was  John's  brightest 
star  of  hope. 

It  was  now  my  intention  to  travel  on  the  southern  side 
of  the  Hanyane  river  towards  the  south-east,  until  I  reached 
some  of  the  Mashona  kraals. 

Striking  through  an  open,  undulating  country,  charac- 
terised by  a  succession  of  low,  wave-like  hills,  and  showing 
avenues  of  stunted  forest  growth  fringing  the  edges  of  its 
innumerable  narrow  watercourses,  we  shortly  made  a  halt 
beneath  the  shelter  of  a  small  clump  of  trees.  The  sun  was 
excessively  hot.  We  were  surrounded  by  plains  covered 
with  long  rank  grass,  portions  of  which  had  been  burnt  by 
the  Mashona  people. 

After  a  short  rest  we  shouted  for  Taroman,  and  cracked 
the  cattle  whip,  which  is  a  custom  in  South  Africa  in  letting 
the  herdsmen  know  that  it  is  time  to  bring  the  cattle  to 
inspan,  for  the  report  of  the  whip  can  be  heard  at  a  great 
distance.  Taroman,  however,  was  nowhere  to  be  seen, 
although  we  succeeded  in  finding  the  cattle  after  a  long 
search  in  the  high  grass. 

So  we  were  forced  to  start  without  our  herdsman,  aban- 
doning him  to  whatever  fate  might  be  in  store  for  him. 
After  a  little  time  I  gave  a  last  look  behind,  thinking  I 
might  perchance  see  the  notorious  absentee. 

Instead  of  that   I  was   startled   to   find  that  the  whole 


TAROMAN  FIRES    THE   GRASS.  101 


prairie  was  on  fire.  It  was  evident  that  old  Taroman  had 
awoke  from  his  lazy  sleep,  and,  whether  through  spite  at 
being  left  behind,  or  for  some  other  reason  unknown  to 
me,  he  must  have  taken  a  wand  from  the  camp  fire  and 
ignited  the  long  grass,  which  burnt  with  great  rapidity,  the 
conflagration  being  borne  swiftly  towards  us  by  a  brisk 
wind,  which  fanned  the  furious  flames  and  drove  them 
impetuously  onward. 

We  at  once  saw  that  we  were  chased  by  a  dangerous  and 
relentless  enemy,  and  a  very  annoying  time  we  had  during 
the  pursuit.  John's  really  vigorous  endeavours  to  urge  the 
oxen  forward  seemed  to  be  inadequate,  for  the  fire  kept 
steadily  gaining  upon  us.  What  I  was  afraid  of  was  the 
waggon  and  all  the  valuables  for  trading.  Previously  we 
had  always  taken  precautions  against  such  emergencies,  but 
only  at  night.  Usually  the  grass  was  fired  surrounding  our 
camp,  so  as  to  prevent  a  surprise.  Where  the  grass  is  low 
and  thin,  the  fire  can  be  fought  pretty  successfully  with 
branches  of  shrubs ;  but  with  long  grass  in  flames,  furiously 
swept  forward  by  a  mighty  wind,  it  is  obviously  impossible 
to  stand  near  it.  Now  and  then,  when  ploughing  through 
streaks  of  wet,  black,  loamy  soil  (where,  by  the  way,  we 
saw  the  spoor  of  black  rhinoceros),  the  waggon  stuck  fast. 
At  such  times  my  anxiety  was  intensified  to  a  troublesome 
degree.     To  be  overtaken  meant  immediate  ruin. 

I  was  seriously  thinking  of  pitching  all  John's  pumpkins 
overboard,  when  we  fortunately  pulled  out,  and  striking  a 
very  dry  belt,  put  the  oxen  at  a  run,  and  presently,  crossing 
a  small  rivulet,  found  ourselves  in  a  position  of  safety, 
where  we  could  bid  defiance  to  the  devouring  rage  of  the 
pursuing  fire. 

Two  days'  travel  brought  us  to  the  outlying  kraals  of  the 
Mashona  tribe. 


102  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

During  this  journey  we  passed  over  numerous  deserted 
Mashona  fields,  which  had  evidently  been  devastated  during 
the  frequent  raids  of  the  Matabeli  impi  (army  or  warriors). 
The  savage  invaders  had  driven  the  more  industrious 
Mashona  away  to  the  eastward,  killing  all  who  came  within 
reach.  Thus  the  once  well-tilled  fields  were  left  to  assume 
again  the  unprofitable  wildness  of  their  primitive  condition ; 
the  furrows  and  ridges  of  the  formerly  cultivated  land  alone 
remaining  to  tell  the  sorrowful  tale  of  conquest  and  desolation. 

While  hunting  for  rhinoceros  one  morning  I  came  upon 
some  antelopes,  one  of  which  I  wounded.  In  the  course  of 
the  swift  pursuit  which  followed,  I  was  thoroughly  startled 
by  the  sudden  appearance  in  the  chase  of  two  men,  who 
turned  out  to  be  Mashona  hunters.  Both  were  armed 
with  flint-lock  muskets.  Their  persons  were  adorned  with 
bracelets  of  buffalo  hide,  and  necklaces  of  bone  and  claws, 
also  pieces  of  the  hoof  of  the  small  gazelle.  Bound  their 
loins  they  wore  sporans  of  leather,  interwoven  with  beads  of 
iron  and  brass.     They  carried  their  powder  in  horns. 

As  I  could  not  speak  the  language,  I  signed  to  them 
to  come  to  the  waggon,  which  we  could  see  indistinctly, 
almost  buried  in  the  long  grass.  On  coming  up  to  the 
caravan  they  asked  for  caps,  and  in  reply  we  told  them  that 
we  were  going  to  the  Zambesi,  and  if  they  would  accompany 
us  we  would  give  them  caps  there.  But  they  shook  their 
heads,  saying  that  it  was  very  far,  offering,  however,  to  go 
on  a  hunting  trip  to  get  meat. 

I  was  quite  glad  to  see  a  strange  face,  for  since  leaving 
the  mission  station  at  Umhlangene,  nearly  a  month  before, 
we  had  not  met  a  single  soul.  The  hunters  informed  us  that 
there  was  a  Mashona  kraal  close  by,  and  hinted  that  perhaps 
the  chief,  whose  name  was  Chibero,  would  give  us  help. 

After  about  three  hours'  trek  we  came   upon  numerous 


MASHONA   PEOPLE.  103 

little  patches  of  cultivated  ground.  A  stream  of  human 
beings  kept  pouring  towards  us,  gradually  swelling  to  a 
large  crowd,  until  at  length,  with  the  babble  of  innumerable 
voices,  varied  by  the  strange  notes  of  Mashona  musical 
instruments,  which  some  of  our  happy  escort  carried  with 
them,  we  entered  a  lovely  green  valley  where  a  few  cattle 
could  be  seen  grazing.  The  valley  was  walled  in  by  low 
mountain  ridges,  and  overlooked  by  the  rocky  fastnesses  of 
the  Mashona  chief.  We  camped  about  500  yards  from 
where  the  town  stood. 

Taroman,  the  "thorn"  of  our  party,  had  not  appeared 
since  the  prairie  fire.  The  sheep,  of  which  there  were  only 
three  left,  and  one  goat,  were  such  pets  that  they  followed 
close  under  the  waggon  without  herding. 

The  people  were  all  very  friendly,  and  eager  to  get  some 
of  the  white  man's  treasures.  They  are  a  very  diiferent  type 
to  the  bloodthirsty  warriors  whose  country  we  had  just 
left,  and  of  whom  they  live  in  constant  terror.  Judging 
from  first  appearances,  I  could  perceive  that  the  physique 
of  the  Mashona  was  very  inferior  to  that  of  the  Matabeli. 
Their  skin  is  darker  too,  and  altogether  they  have  a  greater 
resemblance  to  the  genuine  negro.  I  sent  word  to  the  chief 
that  I  would  visit  him  in  the  morning,  and  was  not  sorry 
when  morning  came,  for  the  night  was  very  stormy,  and  the 
waggon  had  its  head  to  the  wind,  which  passed  through  with 
great  power,  so  that  I  might  say  that  my  lullaby  was  the 
loud  voice  of  a  hurricane. 

Karemba  and  myself  started  across  the  plain,  and  walked 
into  the  fastnesses  of  a  rugged  mountain,  composed  of  im- 
mense boulders,  over  and  around  which  wound  a  tortuous 
path  running  right  and  left,  up  and  down,  and  screwing  in 
all  directions,  so  as  to  avoid  the  rocks  that  jutted  out  over 
this  wonderfully  intricate  track  of  the  mountaineers. 


104  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

Situated  on  the  highest  point  of  the  mountain  was  the 
citadel.  The  spaces  between  the  massive  rocks  which  formed 
an  impregnable  barrier  around  the  town,  and  whose  sides 
were  so  smooth  that  even  a  cat  could  not  scale  them,  were 
filled  with  stout  posts  interlaced  with  thorny  bushes.  It 
appeared  to  me  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  effect  an 
entrance  without  the  aid  of  someone  inside.  All  this  power- 
ful fortifying  is  carried  out  in  order  to  secure  their  lives 
against  the  murderous  attacks  of  their  dreaded  foes.  Un- 
disputed by  the  owners  and  tillers  of  the  soil,  all  property 
in  the  form  of  com  and  cattle  must  be  abandoned  to  the 
caprice  of  the  conquering  Matabeli. 

Attack  is  entirely  a  matter  of  cunning  and  stalking.  A 
Matabeli  impi  (army)  will  approach  as  stealthily,  and  as  in- 
visibly as  snakes,  crawling  as  closely  upon  the  ground,  and 
concealed  by  the  undergrowth,  they  watch  the  movements  of 
their  intended  victims,  the  timid  Mashona.  Then,  when  a 
favourable  opportunity  occurs,  up  they  rise  like  a  wild  black 
cloud  of  destruction.  Hissing  and  shrieking  their  fiercest 
battle  cry,  they  bound  and  leap  like  the  *'  klipspringer,"  * 
from  rock  to  rock,  dealing  with  fearful  precision  the  death- 
giving  blow  of  the  assegai ;  and  ever  and  anon  shouting 
with  thrilling  ecstasy,  their  terrific  cry  of  triumph,  as  they 
tear  out  the  yet  beating  hearts  of  their  victims. 

After  a  pursuit  of  the  flying  and  panic-striken  horde,  the 
ravagers  herd  in  the  straying  cattle,  and  then  the  devastating 
cloud  moves  away,  gathering,  in  its  circuitous  route,  other 
nebulae  in  the  shape  of  slave  girls  and  boys,  as  well  as  the 
cattle  from  perhaps  hundreds  of  hitherto  quiet  and  smiling 
valleys.  They  return  to  their  king  with  news  of  victory  ; 
dancing  as  they  sing  the  story  of  their  soul-stirring  and 
daring  deeds,  while  in  feasting  they  drink  the  beer  made  by 

*  A  small  but  extremely  agile  antelope  living  in  the  rocky  kopjies. 


CHIBERO    THE   CHIEF.  105 

the  hands  of  the  girls  whose  parents'  lives  and  property  were 
the  fruits  of  the  chase,  their  bones  lying  bleaching  in  the 
sun  amid  the  weather-worn  rocks  of  the  deserted  highland 
home. 

On  such  occasions  the  king  rewards  his  generals  mnch  in 
the  same  way  as  is  done  by  the  English.  He  gives  them 
the  currency  of  the  country  (cattle),  although  perhaps  blood 
does  not  call  for  so  high  a  premium  in  a  savage  country  as 
it  does  in  our  own  land. 

The  gateway  of  the  barrier  seemed  to  be  the  only  access 
to  the  town.  It  was  composed  of  trunks  of  trees  laid  in  a 
horizontal  position,  one  above  the  other,  and  the  whole 
"  shored  up  "  from  the  back  by  strong  poles. 

Karemba  soon  succeeded  in  persuading  the  inhabitants 
that  we  were  on  a  friendly  mission,  and  had  come  to  consult 
the  "  old  man."  Satisfied  with  this  assurance,  they,  after  a 
good  deal  of  work,  pulled  away  a  sufficient  number  of  the 
logs  to  leave  a  small  opening,  through  which  we  crawled 
with  a  little  difficulty. 

Our  appearance  caused  not  a  little  curiosity  among  the 
crowd  of  Mashona,  great  and  small,  who  witnessed  our 
entrance.  Immediately  on  our  left,  and  half  hidden  under 
the  shadow  of  a  huge  rock — against  which  were  laid  whole 
stacks  of  assegais,  battle  axes,  and  clubs — sat  the  chief 
Chibero.  His  position  was  close  to  a  large  fire,  where  a 
number  of  his  vassals,  exceedingly  wretched,  half-fed  look- 
ing creatures,  also  crowded  in  their  efforts  to  absorb  in  their 
miserable  bodies  some  share  of  the  scanty  heat,  for  the 
morning  air  was  bitterly  cold. 

I  felt,  and  I  am  sure  I  looked,  like  a  mummy.  We  seated 
ourselves,  with  awful  solemnity,  upon  the  ground,  looking 
and  acting  all  the  while  as  though  our  mission  was  of  a 
most  funereal  character.      It  should   be  remembered  that 


f 
106  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

in  the  company  of  the  savage  the  longer  you  remain 
mute,  the  greater  weight  will  be  carried  by  your  words, 
whenever  you  deem  it  fitting  to  divulge  the  ruminations 
of  your  mind.  Does  not  this  bear  in  some  degree  upon 
certain  features  or  frailties  in  civilised  life  ?  Many  a 
man,  but  few  women  (for  obvious  reasons),  have  high 
reputations  for  wit  as  well  as  wisdom  built  upon  the 
negative  but  commanding  virtue  of  silence.  The  virtue 
seems  to  be  exceptionally  useful — golden  not  silvern — in 
the  world  of  business.  In  my  position  at  that  time 
any  appearance  of  anxious  solicitation  would  have  been 
disastrous;  just  as  it  invariably  is,  in  dealings  with  our 
white  brothers,  who  are  ever  ready  to  take  advantage  of 
human  weaknesses. 

At  length,  with  all  the  decorum  due  to  so  important  an 
assemblage,  for  to  me  the  occasion  and  its  results  were  of 
the  greatest  moment,  Karemba  inquired  if  the  chief  could 
give  the  white  man  boys  to  go  to  Kunyungwi,  that  being 
the  name  given  by  these  people  to  Tette,  the  Portuguese 
settlement,  or  rather  outpost,  on  the  Zambesi,  which  in 
the  meantime  was  my  intended  destination. 

Chibero,  however,  declared  that  he  could  give  no  boys, 
while  all  those  who  were  beside  the  fire  laughed  with  dis- 
dainful heedlessness.  The  Mashona  have  not  the  slightest 
idea  of  the  lapse  of  time,  their  days  being  passed  with  pur- 
poseless indifierence,  and  even  with  less  exertion  than  is 
shown  by  the  degenerate  Mexicans. 

It  soon  became  evident  that  nothing  could  be  done  with 
Chibero  and  his  "  boys,"  so  we  left  the  stubborn  chief,  and 
retraced  our  steps  through  the  intricacies  of  the  path 
towards  the  waggon. 

I  had  failed  to  satisfy  my  wishes ;  but  I  had  learned  a 
useful  lesson.     In  future  I  would  not  say,  "  I  wish  the  boys 


THE   CABRIER   DIFFICULTY.  107 

to  go  with  me  to  Kunyungwi."  As  I  judged  from  the  sur- 
prised faces  of  the  natives,  the  distance  to  them  was  too 
great.  Then  and  there  I  determined  to  find  out  through 
the  medium  of  Karemba  the  name  of  tlie  next  chief,  whose 
country  lay  towards  the  north-east,  and  thus,  from  one 
chief  to  another,  gradually  work  my  way  through  to  the 
Zambesi.  The  little  failure  about  getting  boys,  reminded 
me  of  the  warning  words  uttered  by  Selous,  who  said,  "  Your 
great  difficulty  will  be  to  get  carriers :  they  do  not  like  to 
go  far  from  home." 

This  assertion  greatly  differed  from  the  statement  con- 
tained in  a  letter  I  received  while  yet  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
Diamond  Fields.  The  letter  was  from  a  friend,  who  informed 
me  that  he  had  just  met  a  gentleman  who  had  arrived  from 
the  Victoria  Falls  of  the  Zambesi.  On  that  account  this 
gentleman  considered  himself  an  infallible  authority  on 
African  travel,  and  said  that  he  thought  there  would  be  no 
trouble  whatever  in  getting  boys.  Here  it  is  advisable  to 
remind  the  reader  that  there  is  a  traders'  wap-fj-on  route — as 
wide  as  the  very  broad  road  that  is  so  familiar  in  pulpit 
oratory — reaching  to  within  a  couple  of  days'  journey  from 
the  Victoria  Falls,  which  are  situated  on  the  great  southern 
bend  of  the  river,  about  360  miles  (as  the  crow  flies)  N.N.W. 
of  Shoshong.  My  present  position  was  about  450  miles  (as 
the  crow  flies)  N.E.  of  Shoshong,  so  that  I  was  yet  220 
miles,  in  a  direct  route,  from  Tette  on  the  Zambesi,  which 
was  the  ultimate  point  of  this  section  of  my  journey.  The 
actual  distance,  however,  which  I  traversed  even  here  was 
more  than  doubled  through  the  intricate  wanderings  and 
reverses  experienced  during  my  progress  through  an  un- 
known country. 

These  facts  are  mentioned  only  for  the  purpose  of  showing 
how  readily  some  African  travellers,  who  are  but  freshmen 


108  THE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

on  the  field,  will  venture  opinions  upon  modes  of  travelling 
in  regions  of  which  they  have  no  experience,  and  unsup- 
ported even  by  the  dictates  of  common  sense. 

On  reaching  the  waggon  we  soon  spanned  in  the  oxen,  and 
a  short  trek  brought  us  to  the  town  of  Little  Unyamwenda, 
which  was  under  the  rule  of  a  headman,  or  enduna,  of  the 
chief  Unyamwenda,  whose  town  is  further  on,  being  situated 
close  to  the  southern  bank  of  the  Hanyani  river. 

I  had  already  made  up  my  mind  that  on  no  account 
would  I  risk  taking  the  waggon  across  the  Hanyane  river,  as 
all  our  future  movements  where  enveloped  in  obscurity. 
No  one  could  say  how  our  journey  was  to  proceed.  There- 
fore I  concluded  to  make  this  town  the  final  halting  place 
for  the  waggon  and  the  animals ;  for  it  was  well  to  anticipate 
the  difficulties  which  lay  before  us  to  the  northward  ;  among 
other  obstacles  being  the  dreaded  tsetse  fly,  which  would 
certainly  kill  our  oxen. 

We  pulled  the  waggon  as  near  as  we  possibly  could  to 
the  apparently  inaccessible  town,  the  track  being  of  a  most 
uncomfortable  description,  full  of  sharp  corners  which  we 
had  to  round  with  the  greatest  care  in  order  to  avoid 
collisions  wdth  rocks,  while  in  some  instances  we  slid  over 
slippery  boulders  whose  treacherous  sides  provoked  many  a 
mishap.  At  length  we  reached  a  secure  spot,  and  it  was 
indeed  a  miracle  that  the  waggon  had  not  been  upset  or 
smashed.  Taking  everything  into  consideration,  I  was  very 
well  satisfied  when  we  came  to  an  anchor. 

It  would  have  puzzled  anyone  who  was  not  thoroughly 
familiar  with  the  peculiarities  of  these  rugged  mountains  to 
tell  how  we  had  ever  managed  to  gain  our  present  position. 
We  stood  in  the  centre  of  a  small  basin,  enclosed  by  im- 
mense boulders  whose  massive  summits,  bold  and  grey, 
frowned  upon  us  on  every  side.     In  colour  they  admirably 


ABANDONING    THE    WAGGON.  109 

matched  the  dull  leaden  hue  of  the  atmosphere,  imprei^nated 
with  smoke  from  the  forest  fires.  The  smoke  seemed  to  be 
prevented  from  rising  by  the  heavy  clouds  which  hung 
overhead,  making  one  think  of  the  state  of  affairs  which, 
with  the  pith  of  proverbial  slang,  is  called  a  "  blue  look 
out." 

We  seemed  to  have  wound  our  way  into  one  of  Nature's 
dungeons,  and  the  resemblance  was  the  more  striking  owing 
to  the  changing  weather  having  brought  a  spell  of  cold, 
with  occasional  drifts  of  searching  misty  rains. 

The  waggon  was  here  to  be  abandoned,  and  I  could 
not  help  looking  upon  it  with  all  the  affection  usually  given 
to  an  old  but  comfortable  arm-chair,  on  Avhich  every  grease 
spot,  and  every  charred  hole,  showing  where  the  mild 
regalia  had  fallen  during  drowsy  moments,  bring  to  one's 
recollection  the  memory  of  special  stories,  which  in  their 
turn  revive  other  associations,  all  tending  to  cheer  the  weary 
mind,  and  make  us  forget  for  the  time  the  presence  of 
dreary  surroundings. 

There  the  old  waggon  stood,  reminding  me  strongly  of  a 
worn  and  torn  craft  which  had  braved  the  buffeting  billows 
during  a  long  and  tempestuous  voyage.  The  sail  which 
formed  the  cover  now  hung  in  shreds,  torn  by  the  angry 
thorns  of  the  dense  forests  through  which  we  had  ploughed 
our  way.  The  top  was  covered  with  the  skins  of  wild 
animals.  The  dissel  boom,  or  pole,  was  a  rough  unhewn 
tree,  and  the  wheels  were  thickly  caked  with  black  sun- 
hardened  clay. 

The  whole  turn-out  looked  shabby  and  dilapidated,  but  I 
watched  with  a  happy  heart  the  poor  foot-sore  oxen  (whose 
bones  were  now  forming  sharp  angles  and  threatening  to 
break  through  their  hides)  as  they  wended  their  way  down 
the  narrow,  rocky  trail  to  the  fresh  green  valley  beneath. 


110  TEE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

where  I  knew  that  for  months  they  would  be  released  from 
work. 

Animation  was  soon  given  to  the  scene  by  the  arrival  of 
the  Mashona  people,  who  began  to  crowd  around ;  the  young 
men  all  being  eager  and  anxious  to  know  what  the  white 
man  was  going  to  do.  "  Was  he  going  to  hunt  for  meat  ?  " 
"  Did  he  wish  to  trade  ?  "  and  so  forth,  were  the  class  of 
questions  asked. 

Gradually  the  crowd  of  visitors  began  to  swell  to  con- 
siderable dimensions,  and  we  had  quite  a  lively  market 
scene,  which  brought  with  it  a  shower  of  light  to  our  gloomy 
spirits,  enlivened  by  the  turmoil  of  countless  voices.  Pro- 
duce of  all  descriptions  common  to  the  country  was  brought 
forward.  We  had  rice,  com,  meal,  sweet  potatoes,  ivory, 
ostrich  feathers,  and  assegais.  On  every  rock  the  native 
merchants  and  their  friends  were  perched  like  living 
statues,  watching  our  movements  and  commenting  upon  us 
all  the  while.  Abundance  of  light  and  shade  could  be  seen 
in  the  style  of  conversation  and  in  the  mode  of  trading. 
Indeed  their  ever-changing  countenances  formed  a  special 
study.  A  great  deal  of  acuteness  was  shown  in  trading 
transactions.  They  wrangled  boisterously  even  about  the 
value  of  a  small  wooden  saucer  filled  with  meal,  or  about 
the  quantity  of  beads  they  had  received  in  exchange  for 
any  special  article  which  they  sold. 

Indignant  at  times,  they  would  stare  wildly  at  their 
associates,  looking  as  though  they  meant  to  break  for  ever 
the  link  of  friendship.  In  hot  dispute  their  tones  would 
show  the  highest  excitement,  succeeded  by  the  lowering 
frowns  of  sulkiness,  and  anon  by  wild  bursts  of  uproarious 
laughter ;  all  showing  that  the  barometer  of  their  temper 
was  of  a  thoroughly  mercurial  character,  subject  to  rises  and 
falls  of  no  ordinary  abruptness  and  extent. 


RECRUITING.  Ill 


As  I  at  all  times  kept  in  mind  the  fact  that  a  day  would 
inevitably  arrive  when  serious  obstacles  must  cross  my 
path,  I  was  anxious  to  make  the  most  of  the  time  at  my  dis- 
posal ;  for  I  knew  that  the  prospects  of  long  marches  in  the 
high,  wet  grass  of  the  Zambesi  valley  would  certainly  be 
realised  should  the  rains  overtake  us. 

Remembering  this  I  at  once  commenced  to  engage  volun- 
teers who  showed  any  real  willingness  to  proceed.  While 
they  seemed  to  be  in  a  favourable  mood,  the  sooner  I  could 
catch  them  the  better ;  at  least  so  I  thought. 

One  of  the  first  to  come  forward  was  a  very  strongly  built 
and  extremely  fat  man,  extraordinarily  so  for  a  ^fashona. 
John  said  he  knew  him  as  one  who  had  often  gone  with 
hunters  to  the  fly  country.  The  man  had  been  nicknamed 
"  Villum,"  but  his  real  name  was  Chirimutu. 

Five  others  quickly  followed  the  example  of  our  first 
recruit,  all  saying  that  they  would  go  with  me  to  Kunyungwi, 
These  I  found  were  Chibero  men,  who  had  followed  us  from 
the  town  at  which  we  last  stopped.  In  this  way  I  continued 
to  enlist  the  boys,  as  long  as  the  novelty  of  the  occasion 
captivated  and  enchanted  their  childish  minds. 

My  modus  o'perandi  was  as  follows :  Taking  out  a  sample 
cotton  blanket  and  two  varieties  of  beads  (small  red  beads 
with  white  eyes  seemed  to  be  the  favourites),  I  tried  to  come 
to  terms  with  each  individual ;  and  in  an  effort  to  instil 
some  degree  of  method  and  discipline  into  the  wild  and 
babbling  crowd,  I  wrote  each  man's  name  in  my  note  book. 
All  this  time,  however,  I  was  pestered  by  annoying  inter- 
ruptions of  a  most  extraordinary  character.  The  man  who 
had  just  been  at  ray  shoulder,  anxious  to  know  what  he  was 
to  receive,  after  giving  me  his  name,  and  seeing  it  written 
down — an  operation  which  afforded  him  pantomimic  delight 
— would  wander  away  as  though  nothing  had  taken  place; 


112  THE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

in  all  likelihood  thinking  that  when  I  was  writing  his 
name  I  was  merely  consulting  my  spirit  as  to  the  advisa- 
bility of  accepting  his  services.*  Before  he  had  gone  fifty 
yards,  the  whole  transaction  was  obliterated  from  his  erratic 
mind. 

He  would  wander  off  and  meet  a  friend  who,  after  a  snuff, 
would  inquire  if  he  had  seen  the  white  man.  On  receiving 
an  emphatic  reply  in  the  negative,  they  would  return  to  me 
in  company ;  the  man  I  had  just  arranged  with  coming  up 
unabashed  as  a  distinctly  new  man ;  and,  looking  as  though 
he  had  never  seen  me  before  in  his  lifetime,  he  would  ask 
for  quite  a  different  and  a  fresh  lot  of  things,  thus  upsetting 
all  the  former  agreement  which  I  had  written  against  his 
name,  for  I  was  especially  careful  not  to  give  anything  away 
until  all  was  in  readiness  for  an  immediate  start.  It  seems 
to  be  indispensable  that  the  natives  should  get  presents. 
In  fact  they  must  get  them,  or  they  will  do  nothing ;  and 
even  afterwards  they  must  have  promises  of  other  donations 
to  follow. 

Sometimes  it  would  seem  quite  hopeless  to  try  and  do 
anything  with  such  volatile  and  insensate  beings.  Any 
number  of  them  were  ready  to  go  on  a  hunt  for  meat ;  but 
the  fact  of  being  required  as  carriers  seemed  to  be  utterly 
beyond  their  comprehension.  Sadly  perplexed  by  such 
troubles,  I  turned  round  to  look  for  John,  especially  as  I 
was  coming  to  terms  with  an  unusually  tractable  black. 
Where  was  he?  Certainly  nowhere  within  the  range  of 
vision  ;  but,  after  looking  about  for  some  time,  I  found  him 
behind  a  rock,  in  company  with  the  higher  ape  and 
Sagwam,  melting   down   elephant's  fat,  and   at   the  same 

*  The  natives  have  not  the  slightest  idea  of  the  meaning  of  writing. 
So  far  as  I  can  make  out,  they  fancy  tliat  the  white  man  discovers  every- 
thing in  his  papers,  and  these  he  finds  "  ready  made." 


OLD    T AROM AN  AGAIN  !  113 

time  busily  chewing  the  gristly  bits,  that  would  not  liquefy 
into  a  money-getting  commodity. 

"  What  are  you  doing,  John  ?  " 

"  I  melt  de  fat  of  de  olifant,  master,  to  take  back  when  I 
go  home.  Dar  is  man  in  Natal,  dat  give  me  one  pound  for 
de  small  cup  full." 

Hurriedly  taking  the  melter  away  from  his  absorbing- 
occupation,  I  ran  back  with  him  to  the  place  a\  here  stood 
the  hesitating  recruit,  who  had  just  been  on  the  eve  of 
accepting  the  bounty.     He  was  gone  ! 

Where  was  Karemba  ?  There  he  was  dancing  with  a  group 
of  brother  Mashona,  who  keep  time  as  he  deftly  touches 
the  iron  keys  of  the  native  piano  ;  for  Karemba  a\  as  budding 
out,  and  here  he  unexpectedly  turned  up  as  a  musician  of 
note  among  his  own  feather. 

Amidst  all  this  confusion  and  distraction,  the  reader  may 
imagine  how  difficult  a  matter  it  was  to  keep  the  temper 
within  the  bounds  of  reason.  And  yet,  just  as  I  was 
struggling  against  the  formidable  flood  of  annoyances, 
another  provocation  to  wrath  made  its  appearance  in  the 
person  of  the  long  lost  and  incorrigible  old  scoundrel 
Taroman,  whom  we  had  not  seen  since  he  had  sent  the 
prairie  fire  careering  after  us  to  accomplish  our  destruction. 
In  my  present  state  of  worrying  excitement  I  could  have 
annihilated  the  fellow;  and  yet  there  he  stood,  grinning 
from  ear  to  ear,  and  calmly  saying  that  he  would  "  like  a 
blanket!" 

Words  cannot  express  the  wildness  of  my  feelings  at  this 
particular  moment.  Without  egotism  I  can  repeat  the 
oft  spoken  simile  that  compared  to  my  outward  resignation 
Job's  patience  was  not  a  circumstance.  The  patriarch 
would  have  gone  "  bald  crazy "  had  he  been  similarly 
situated.     More  than  once  I  felt  inclined  to  retire  and  have 

VOL.  I.  I 


114  TBE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

a  solemnly  independent  dance,  by  myself,  daring  which  I 
would  endeavour  to  remember  some  lines  of  Dante's 
"Inferno,"  while  I  hummed  the  strains  of  Beethoven's 
"  Funeral  March." 

Having  heard  that  meat  was  an  indispensable  article  as 
an  incentive  before  starting  on  a  journey,  I  lost  no  time  in 
going  forth  in  search  of  it.  Taking  C.  L.  K.,  and  followed 
by  a  number  of  Mashona  who  carried  their  bows  and 
arrows  and  spears,  off  we  went,  crossing  the  small  range 
of  mountains  which  lay  to  the  north  of  the  town,  and  then 
descending  to  a  large  plain,  which  was  completely  black 
through  all  the  high  grass  having  been  burnt.  Only  ant- 
heaps,  like  huge  molehills,  could  be  seen  to  vary  the  dead 
flatness  of  the  blackened  surface. 

My  garments  here  were  the  cause  of  some  consideration. 
I  had  donned  a  new  pair  of  corduroy  "  unmentionables," 
a  flannel  shirt,  and  a  cartridge  belt,  which,  with  a  Boer  hat, 
completed  my  costume.  I  fancied  myself  "  quite  too  much  " 
like  a  clothes  pole  in  front  of  a  Hebrew  store  in  Oxford 
Street,  altogether  too  clean  for  hunting,  as  I  stood  like 
a  white  pillar  upon  the  jet-like  blackness  of  the  ground. 
This  chalkiness,  however,  was  soon  ebonised  by  rolling  my 
body  freely  in  the  charred  straw.  After  this  charcoal 
shampoo  I  felt  more  like  my  work,  and  noticed  that  the 
Mashona  highly  appreciated  the  little  stroke  of  hunter's 
policy  ;  doubtless  thinking  that  the  white  man  was  getting 
a  good  "  ready  "  on,  like  the  cock  which  stamps  and  jumps 
about  before  he  is  pitted. 

During  this  operation  the  keen-eyed  mountaineers  had 
espied  a  herd  of  tsessebe  antelope  {Alcelafhus  lunatus)  at 
about  600  yards'  distance.  Stalking  on  these  flats  is  very 
nice  work.  We  make  use  of  the  ant-heaps,  and  crawl  alli- 
gator-like along  the  ground.     I  dropped  two  fine  bulls,  but 


MASHONA   METHOD    OF  HUNTING.  llo 


the  second  was  lost  after  having  chased  him  until  my  store 
of  wind  had  completely  run  out,  and  I  had  taken  an  involun- 
tary plunge  into  a  small  black  bog,  that  threw  up  coarse- 
high  reeds  upon  which  I  was  nearly  impaled.  Smeared 
with  green  slime  and  black  mud  I  emerged  from  this  pit- 
fall, using  language  which  I  am  certain  could  hardly  be 
characterised  as  that  of  meek  affliction. 

On  my  way  back  I  found  the  Mashona  in  great  glee 
carrying  off  the  meat.  1  was  not  sorry  when  the  sun  had 
set.  ^  The  day's  work  had  been  hard  and  trying,  but  at  the 
same  time  when  I  closed  my  eyes  I  had  the  satisfaction  of 
thinking  that  what  I  had  done  would  facilitate  our  depar- 
ture, which  I  sincerely  hoped  would  be  managed  on  the 
succeeding  afternoon. 

The  Mashona  mode  of  hunting  is  principally  by  netting 
the  game.  This  they  do  at  night  by  staking  out  long  lines 
of  nets,  towards  which  they  drive  the  game  so  as  to  become 
entangled  in  the  snare,  and  render  the  capture  an  easy  task. 
The  Mashona  say  that  the  nets  are  sufficiently  strong  to 
stop  an  eland,  the  heaviest  antelope  in  Africa.  The  rhi- 
noceros and  elephant,  however,  make  playful  havoc  with 
the  obstruction.  The  nets  are  very  neatly  made  from  the 
bark  of  the  machabele-tree,  extensively  used  by  these  people 
for  many  purposes,  which  I  will  endeavour  to  explain  in 
succeeding  pages  of  the  present  book. 

The  Mashona  is  careless  of  his  person  generally,  with  the 
exception  of  his  head,  covered  with  curly  and  crisp  hair, 
which  he  loves  to  adorn  in  a  manner  that  shows  no  incon- 
siderable degree  of  skill  and  even  taste.  Artistic  arrangement 
is  rarely  absent,  and  the  observer  is  forced  to  acknowledge 
their  power  in  the  department  of  hair-dressing.  The  women 
are  the  adorners  and  barbers.  With  a  pointed  piece  of 
bone  they  divide  the  hair  into  a  great  variety  of  fantastic 

*  I  2 


116  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

shapes.  Sometimes  the  partings  are  made  from  back  to 
front,  showing  cockscomb-like  ridges  which  form  a  most 
becoming  head-dress.  Another  fashion  is  the  separation  of 
the  hair  into  circular  tufts.  Pulling  it  out  to  the  full 
length  they  bind  it  round  with  the  fine  mimosa  bark,  so 
that  it  stretches  outwards  from  the  head,  leaving  a  tuft  of 
curly  hair  at  the  end  of  the  newly-formed  stalk.  A  very 
liberal  supply  of  the  fat  of  some  wild  animal,  or  perhaps  of 
the  oil  of  the  ground-nut,  is  then  employed  to  anoint  the 
head-gear,  showing  the  finishing  touch  of  the  master  coif- 
feur's hand,  the  appearance  of  the  whole  adornment  being 
shiny  and  fleecy,  and  resembling  in  a  peculiar  manner  a 
luxuriant  bunch  of  wild  blackberries. 

The  women  shave  their  heads,  while  the  young  girls  have 
a  fashion  of  stringing  beads  in  their  hair,  and  by  the 
increased  bulk  cause  their  tops  to  look  like  the  hooded 
bantam,  especially  as  they  shave  all  round  the  sides  and 
back,  leaving  nothing  but  this  odd-looking  mop-like  tuft. 

Many  of  the  youthful  Mashona  charmers,  while  very 
young,  have  lithe  and  graceful  figures,  although  their 
features  are  far  from  lovely. 

So  far  as  I  could  see  and  learn,  the  morals  of  the  people 
were  much  superior  to  the  morals  of  the  Matabeli,  of  whom 
I  have  already  spoken  in  that  connection. 

It  was  interesting  to  notice  the  tribal  or  distinctive  mark 
of  the  Mashona,  which  was  shown  by  the  practice  of  filing 
out  spaces  between  the  two  upper  front  teeth,  the  aperture 
having  the  shape  of  the  letter  V  inverted. 

Their  weapons  are  the  bow  and  arrow,  the  axe  and  the 
assegai.  Of  the  latter  every  man  carries  two  or  three  of 
various  sizes,  but  all,  as  a  rule,  much  larger  than  those  used 
by  the  Zulus;  they  are  also  much  broader  in  the  blade. 
The  butt  end  of  the  assegai  is  shod  with  a  piece  of  pointed 


A   PERSECUTED   RACE.  117 

iron,  which  is  utilized  for  all  manner  of  purposes,  such  as 
making  holes  in  which  to  place  the  stakes  of  their  game- 
nets,  and  other  kindred  uses  common  in  the  fiehls.  It  is 
rather  a  clumsy  weapon,  very  different  from  the  assegais  of 
warlike  tribes,  in  which  the  shafts  are  as  light  and  as 
springy  as  whip  handles,  while  only  the  spear-head  end  is 
used,  the  head  being  fitted  into  the  shaft  and  bound  neatly 
but  firmly  with  pieces  of  raw  hide,  which  is  allowed  to  dry, 
so  that  by  the  shrinking  process  the  binding  holds  with  a 
vicedike  firmness.  The  weapon  I  describe  is  a  Aveapon  solely 
intended  for  bloodshed,  either  that  of  animals  or  of  men. 

A  persecuted  and  a  hunted  race  are  the  j)oor  ]\Iashona. 
Dwelling  in  the  mountain  fastnesses,  where  their  towns 
are  hidden  in  most  inaccessible  sj>ots  amidst  the  great 
igneous  belts  which  form  such  a  prominent  characteristic  of 
the  landscape,  their  huts  are  exceedingly  primitive  in  con- 
struction, thatched  with  wild  coarse  grass,  and  usually 
perched  upon  the  summit  of  isolated  rocks.  The  only 
means  of  communication  are,  in  some  cases,  a  rough  notched 
pole,  which  they  can  pull  quickly  up  in  the  event  of  attack 
so  as  to  make  their  retreat  secure,  or  through  innumerable 
intricate  windings  among  their  almost  impenetrable  rocky 
environment. 

Many  a  time,  as  I  dodged  through  the  wild,  goblin-like 
caverns  of  the  place,  did  I  think  how  thoroughly  harass- 
ing, if  not  demoralising,  it  would  be  for  an  aggressive 
army  to  fight  its  way  through  the  maze.  Single  rank 
would  be  the  only  formation  that  could  advance,  and  men 
looking  for  their  next  uncertain  foothold  would  be  sure  to 
be  annihilated  either  from  above,  or  from  the  innumerable 
black  devils'  gates  which  abound  on  every  side,  and  in 
which  the  Mashona  crouch  during  the  attacks  of  the  foe. 
In  spite   of    all    these    natural    advantages    for    defence, 


118  TEE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

the  Matabeli  always  seem  to  be  able  to  out-general   the 
unfortunate  inhabitants. 

Almost  every  nook  and  cavern  of  these  well-nigh  inacces- 
sible mountain  fastnesses  contains  a  village  or  town  of  this 
hunted  people,  who  never  build  their  kraals  on  the  flats  or 
in  the  valleys.  Here  we  see  the  struggle  for  existence 
admirably  portrayed — not  the  individual  struggling  for  life, 
but  also  the  tribe,  which  is  likewise  a  unit  among  African 
races.  History  repeats  itself,  and  even  the  savage  com- 
munity must  have  its  birth,  infancy,  maturity,  decline  and 
death.  Mashona  unity  is  broken ;  they  have  no  longer  such 
power  of  organisation  as  their  neighbours,  the  Matabeli. 
They  live  in  detached  tribes,  each  one  being  a  little  king- 
dom in  itself,  and  only  looking  towards  its  own  existence. 
It  seems  as  though  the  ambition  for  supremacy  amongst 
them  has  faded  from  their  minds,  and  that  their  only  prayer 
is  now  for  a  quiet  life.     For  them  all  glory  has  fled. 

The  diet  of  the  Mashona  consists  generally  of  maize, 
meal  and  nuts  (Arachis).  They  are  particularly  fond  of  the 
latter.  A  special  partiality  is  also  extended  to  meat  of 
every  description,  which  they  cook  in  the  crudest  manner. 
They  are  not  at  all  particular  as  to  the  time  when  it  was 
killed,  provided  it  has  not  wholly  assumed  another  form  of 
animal  life. 

Their  cattle  are  very  diminutive,  but  peculiarly  hardy. 
Some  have  even  been  trained  and  used  by  hunters  in  their 
waggon  work,  and  have  been  found  to  be  very  tough  crea- 
tures, not  so  liable  to  get  footsore  as  larger  cattle,  such  as 
the  Boer  trek  oxen.  Towards  nightfall  the  timid  people 
herd  their  cattle  and  goats  into  the  town,  the  nimble-footed 
beasts  scrambling  up  the  narrow  rocky  paths  with  the 
utmost  ease  and  confidence.  Before  the  sun  has  set  the 
gateway  is  barricaded  with  immense  trunks  of  trees. 


THE  SURVIVAL    OF   THE  FITTEST.  119 


Respecting  these  people,  the  impression  left  upon  my 
mind  is  that  they  are  a  declining  race,  exemplifying 
strongly  the  Darwinian  doctrine  of  the  survival  of  tlie 
fittest.  The  stronger  blood  of  the  tribes  of  Zulu  origin 
they  cannot  resist;  consequently  their  adversaries  have 
been  encroaching  upon  their  lands  and  liberties  for  many, 
many  years,  and  in  all  probability  will  continue  their 
depredations  unchecked  until  the  memory  of  the  oppressed 
Mashona  is  but  a  thing  of  the  traditional  past. 

Another  day  dawned,  and  the  morning  light  shone 
brightly  upon  fresh  scenes.  Great  numbers  of  people 
came  to  visit  us,  bringing  ivory,  skins  of  baboons,  and  all 
kinds  of  earthenware  pots,  also  long  sacks  made  of  bark, 
woven  in  the  most  ingenious  and  neat-fingered  fashion, 
and  quite  watertight.  I  bought  some  of  the  sacks  in  which 
to  carry  cartridges,  so  that  the  powder  would  not  be  damaged 
by  wet. 

I  am  sure  that  it  would  be  very  tiresome  for  my  reader 
were  I  to  attempt  to  describe  the  scene  of  confusion,  dis- 
order, and  utterly  hopeless  abandonment  of  discipline  which 
lay  before  us,  showing  the  perplexing  impossibility  of  doing 
anything.  The  babel  even  stopped  the  chance  of  hearing 
one's  own  voice. 

"  Oh  dear,  oh  dear,  oh  damn  !  There  is  the  sun  again 
moving  slowly  down  the  clear  western  sky,  carrying  with  it 
every  prospect  of  a  start  for  to-day  !  But  I  must  positively 
get  oft'  to-morrow."  And  with  the  latter  consoling  thought 
lingering  in  my  anxious  mind  I  sank,  but  only  for  a  few 
hours,  into  the  peace  of  a  refreshing  oblivion. 

Daybreak  saw  us  again  at  work,  packing  into  small 
bundles  all  the  actual  necessities  for  our  journey.  Many 
things  had  to  be  left  behind  in  a  padlocked  box  in  the 
waggon.     They  consisted  of  ivory,  feathers,  hides,  and   a 


120  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

number  of  trading  articles,  some  of  which  I  was  very 
reluctant  to  leave,  but  did  so  because  I  felt  that  the 
lighter  the  equipment  the  quicker  would  be  the  progress. 
A  kraal,  too,  had  to  be  made,  into  which  the  cattle  could  be 
brought  every  night  for  shelter. 

Amidst  all  the  skurry  and  turmoil  of  departure,  it  was 
painfully  evident  that  the  natives  thought  such  a  moment 
an  especially  favourable  one  for  begging  "  presents."  Oh, 
how  the  eternal  repetition  of  that  word  "  tussa "  (present) 
rang  like  a  chronic  singing  in  my  afflicted  ears !  You 
may  talk  of  the  "backsheesh"  of  the  Arabs  if  you  like, 
but  I  will  back  the  duskier  denizens  of  southern  Africa  for 
genuine  all-round  begging  against  the  world.  Their  greed 
is  insatiable,  for  the  more  you  try  to  gratify  their  desires 
the  more  they  are  encouraged  to  demand. 

On  the  eve  of  our  departure,  Chibero,  the  chief,  turned 
up  from  the  other  town.  As  he  sat  down  on  a  rock  a  ring 
was  immediately  formed  around  him,  and  every  one  of  the 
company  clapped  their  hands,  such  being  the  Mashona  mode 
of  saluting  a  visitor. 

'  At  length  everything  seemed  to  be  ready  for  the  start, 
except,  of  course,  the  indispensable  Mashona  escort.  My 
baggage,  I  am  afraid,  would  have  made  but  a  poor  show 
beside  the  enormous  stores  carried  by  some  expeditions  to 
the  interior  of  the  dark  continent ;  and,  far  away  from  even 
the  slightest  evidence  of  civilisation,  there  was,  as  a  matter 
of  course,  no  chance  of  replenishing  should  the  supplies  be 
exhausted.  Provisions  taken  with  us  from  this  point  con- 
sisted of  some  meal  and  rice,  a  small  packet  of  tea,  about 
thirty  pounds  of  sugar,  three  pounds  of  coffee,  three  tins  of 
salmon,  one  box  of  sardines,  three  small  tins  of  condensed 
milk,  two  bottles  of  "three-star"  brandy,  two  boxes  of 
Huntley  and  Palmer's  biscuits,  two   pounds  of  sago,  five 


A   NEW  BODY-GUARD.  121 

packets  of  maizena,  and  two  bottles  of  lime  juice.  In  case 
the  system  might  be  overtaxed  by  such  luxuries,  relief 
was  to  be  found  in  the  following  medicines :  One  bottle 
Eno,  one  small  bottle  of  spirits  of  ammonia,  two  ounces 
quinine,  one  ounce  podophylin  (the  most  effectively  indus- 
trious searching  medicine  in  the  whole  pharmacoposia,  and 
principally  used  to  dose  those  who  were  shamming,  and 
who  after  one  trial  rarely  called  a  second  time  at  my  drug 
store),  one  small  bottle  of  chlorodyne,  and  two  bottles  of 
castor  oil.  The  ammunition  comprised  two  hundred  and 
fifty  rounds  of  elephant-gun  cartridges,  five  hundred  rounds 
of  C.  L.  K.  brass  shells,  ten  pounds  lead,  reloading  apparatus, 
and  a  few  boxes  of  Curtis  &  Harvey's  best  powder. 

The  articles  for  trade  included  cotton  blankets,  white 
calico,  blue  calico,  fancy  handkerchiefs,  four  varieties  of 
beads,  a  few  yards  of  very  pretty  cloth  kept  for  extra- 
ordinary occasions,  as  a  gift  perhaps  to  a  cantankerous 
chief  or  a  youthfnl  princess.  I  also  had  some  books — a 
small  edition  of  Shakespeare,  a  Nautical  Almanac,  loga- 
rithmic tables,  and  Proctor's  Star  Atlas.  The  remainder 
of  the  effects  were  made  up  by  instruments  for  observa- 
tion, etc. 

The  total  weight  of  the  baggage  was  about  four  hundred 
and  fifty  pounds,  which  gave  to  the  twenty-five  men  about 
eighteen  pounds  each  as  their  share  of  the  burden,  and  even 
at  that  many  of  them  grumbled.  What  a  contrast  to  the 
Zanzibar  porters,  who  lift  and  carry  for  immense  distances 
fifty  pounds  weight — ayje,  even  more — without  a  murmur ! 

The  body-guard  consisted  of  the  Koyal  Household  of  blacks, 
headed  by  John,  who  was  followed  by  a  young  Mashona, 
also  carrying  a  weapon.  Sagwam  bore  upon  his  unwilling 
shoulder  the  "80-ton  gun,"  which  he  hated  with  all  the 
intensity  of  a  lazy  man's  dislike  to  burthens.     Karemba, 


122  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

with  C.  L.  K.  and  fifty  rounds  of  cartridges,  was  my  imme- 
diate attendant.  The  higher  ape,  whose  duties  were  now  to 
be  those  of  a  cook  and  royal  dishwasher,  had  a  load  that 
could  not  be  considered  trifling,  especially  as  he  carried  on 
his  head  so  many  ornaments  in  the  shape  of  a  large  and 
wonderfully  worked  hat,  adorned  with  long  feathers,  his 
lower  parts  being  enveloped  in  a  shirt  which  I  had  given 
him,  and  which  reached  nearly  to  his  heels.  Besides  this 
natural  burden,  he  carried  my  shot  gun,  upon  which  were 
hanging  a  small  kettle,  two  tin  plates,  two  axle  grease  pots 
(now  used  for  cooking  in  place  of  a  cast-iron  pot),  a  small 
gridiron  (a  Buluwayo  production,  suspiciously  like  an  old 
preventer  of  rubbish  in  the  mouth  of  a  drain),  and  two  tin 
bowls  for  tea,  for  ours  was  a  teetotal  caravan.  John  informed 
me  that  this  itinerant  kitchen  had  a  love  affair  on,  so  that 
we  should  have  to  keep  an  eye  upon  him  in  case  he  should 
elope. 

Personally  I  carried  a  compass,  watch,  and  telescope,  the 
latter  having  an  unusual  and  melancholy  interest  through 
its  being  the  last  to  signal  the  fading  lights  of  the  unfor- 
tunate Captain  before  she  went  down  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay. 

I  also  carried  a  small  Matabeli  stabbing  assegai,  which 
Karemba,  with  throbs  of  sanguinary  delight,  invariably  used 
in  giving  the  coup  de  grace  to  expiring  game. 

I  now  paid  Taroman,  giving  him  a  cotton  blanket,  and 
telling  him  that  if  the  cattle  were  all  right  on  my  return, 
I  would  give  him  another,  also  plenty  of  beads.  The  old 
man  was  highly  incensed.  Working  up  his  passion,  he 
fumed  and  stormed,  showing  more  energy  for  the  time  than 
could  be  noted  in  the  aggregate  of  his  exertions  since  I  had 
enlisted  his  services. 

What  ridiculous  capers  he  cut !  With  exclamations  of 
utter  disgust  he  was  constantly  turning  away  as  though  he 


HELPLESSNESS   OF   WHITES.  123 


intended  to  leave  us  to  the  tender  mercies  of  an  inexorable 
fate.  Then  he  would  return,  primed  and  ready  with  a  new 
and  a  more  powerful  charge  of  withering  words,  which  ho 
poured  forth  with  astonishing  volubility. 

Although  the  attack  slightly  disturbed  my  arrange- 
ments, my  equanimity  was  not  upset.  I  was  resigned, 
and  bowed  even  to  the  aggravating  circumstancfss,  having 
long  before  become  aware  that  I  was  utterly  unable  to  frame 
a  sentence  which  could  in  the  slightest  degree  do  justice  to 
the  occasion.  Even  in  an  inflamed  vocabulary  there  was 
nothing  sufficiently  sulphurous. 

Like  a  gipsy  pedlar  I  kept  on,  undoing  bundles  perhaps 
to  show  a  piece  of  cloth  or  a  blanket  to  a  man  who  said  he 
would  like  to  see  what  he  was  to  get  at  the  next  town,  not 
to  speak  of  what  he  received  before  he  started. 

Amidst  these  scenes  of  bargaining  John's  temper  and 
countenance  had  undergone  many  changes.  In  the  heat  of 
his  rage  he  would  call  every  one  thieves.  His  face  would 
change  from  a  livid  genuine  yellow  Hottentot  rage  to  a 
stolid  and  sickly  imperturbability  which  told  of  the  sheer 
abandonment  of  despair.  It  was  painfully  evident  that  the 
comforts  of  philosophy  had  not  touched  the  mind  of  poor 
John.  When  most  was  expected  from  him  he  would  sit 
down  as  indi£ferent  to  all  his  surroundings  as  a  monkey  with 
the  colic. 

Oh,  how  often  I  wished  that  the  man  could  understand 
me,  when  after  one  of  his  outbursts  I  would  look  at  him  in 
despair,  and  say,  "  What  is  the  use  of  your  trying  to  worry 
at  the  words,  when  you  know  that  I  have  tried  it  and 
ignominiously  failed  ?  " 

How  helpless  are  the  whites  among  the  blacks  when  the 
latter  are  in  their  own  lands  !  At  such  times  we  must 
pocket   indignation,    and    thoroughly    temper   impatience. 


124  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

only  dreaming  of  the  blissful  time  when  we  shall  be  released 
from  the  bitter  thraldom  of  dependence,  and  once  again  find 
ourselves  free  to  give  effect  and  direction  to  our  wills  among 
reasonable  beings. 

At  length  after  much  wrangling,  and  after  paying  each 
of  the  carriers  a  fathom  of  cotton  calico,  without  which  not 
one  of  them  would  have  moved  a  single  forward  step,  the 
caravan  started  for  the  north.  As  I  anticipated  desertion, 
we  had  thirty-three  "  regulars,"  and  a  multitudinous  rabble 
of  nude  creatures  of  all  sorts  and  sizes  who  followed  in  our 
wake. 

Karemba  and  myself  remained  behind  until  all  had  left. 
I  then  gave  two  fathoms  of  fine  striped  cloth,  which  might 
almost  be  called  beautiful,  to  the  head  man  of  the  town  of 
Little  Unyamwenda,  telling  him  to  see  that  the  cattle  were 
coral  led  every  night,  and  the  waggon  carefully  guarded 
after  our  departure.  Under  its  shelter  I  left  numbers  of 
things  to  be  delivered  to  Fairbairn  at  Buluwayo,  whenever 
John  should  make  the  homeward  trip. 

As  for  myself,  I  had  made  up  my  mind  never  to  return  to 
the  waggon.  Henceforth  our  journey  through  this  wild  land 
was  to  be  performed  on  foot.  Nature  alone  would  decide 
the  places  for  our  rest.  Although  I  had  not  literally  '"  burnt 
my  boats,"  I  had  done  so  in  mental  determination.  Come 
weal,  come  woe,  the  object  of  my  journey  would  not  be 
abandoned ! 


(     125     ) 


CHAPTEE   VI. 

MASHONA-LAND, 

A  funny  ceremony — Working  on  superstition — Hypocritical  ''J'aroman  — 
An  immense  prairie  fire — Meditations  on  the  journey — Cold  dews — 
The  slumbering  cam^i — Unyamwenda,  tlie  chief — -A  tough-skiuned 
fellow — Desertions — Bundles  of  wisdom  —  Old  Sebaii  api)cars — The 
charred  plain — The  Zururu  river — John's  success  in  hunting — Gorging 
the  crowd — Furious  quarrels  over  meat — The  best  way  to  manage 
natives — Sterile  rocks  of  Mashona-land — Making  a  skerm — Masliona 
music — Karemba's  repute  as  a  performer — Native  danciug^ — Pleasure 
in  primitive  life — "  Ah,  master,  I  never  see  people  like  here ! " — 
Craving  for  limbo  and  beads — The  Umvukwe  and  Eusaka  mountains — 
Etsatse  river — A  troublesome  goat — Curious  hut — Prosjiecting  for 
gold — Mashona  ablutions — Honest  natives — Unexpected  appearance  of 
Mchesa,  the  Vulcan  of  Mashona-land — Pursued  by  grass  fires — lUack- 
smithing  in  the  wildernesses — A  primitive  forge — Ironstone  of  the 
country — Troubles  in  camp — A  night  scene — Clannislmess — Throat  to 
kill  Sagwam — Quarrels  in  camp — A  doubtful  expedition. 

Much  as  I  was  impressed  with  the  natural  honesty  of  these 
simple  aborigines,  I  still  thought  it  unadvisable  to  neglect 
precautions  for  securing  the  safety  of  property.  To  effect 
this,  a  somewhat  curious  and  highly  amusing  ceremony  had 
to  be  performed. 

Before  we  set  out,  the  wily  Karemba  suggested  that  I 
should  stand  in  front  of  the  waggon,  and  merely  show 
the  people  my  watch.  The  sight,  he  said,  of  such  an 
extraordinary  fetish  would  make  them  afraid  to  steal 
during  our  absence.  To  put  into  effect  this  shrewd  notion 
of  Karemba's  was  the  work  of  a  minute.  Standing  in  front 
of  the   waggon,  I  assumed  a  portentous  demeanour  of  a 


126  TEE  FAB   INTERIOR. 

most  Satanic  description,  looking  all  the  time  devilishly 
upon  the  upturned  face  of  the  watch.  I  then  walked  slowly 
and  solemnly  round  the  waggon,  describing  a  fair  circle, 
from  which  I  mysteriously  waved  the  crowd  away,  tacitly 
intimating  that  within  the  charmed  radius  mortal  man 
dare  not  come.  I  then  stood  still,  and  again  gazing  at  the 
watch  declared  in  fearful  tones  that  whoever  stole  during 
my  absence  would  be  known  and  overtaken  by  a  dreadful 
vengeance.  It  was  amusing  to  observe  the  terror  and  awe 
depicted  upon  the  faces  of  the  astonished  crowd. 

We  were  hardly  half  a  mile  on  our  way  when  Karemba 
gave  out  the  interesting  news  that  we  had  forgotten  the 
sheep  and  the  goat.  No  time  was  to  be  lost,  so  back  we 
went  at  "  the  double."  Again  the  endless  question  turned 
up,  "  Where,  in  the  devil's  name,  was  Taroman  ?  "  Only 
after  a  long  search  did  we  discover  the  scoundrel  talking 
to  some  Mashona  women. 

He  said  he  had  lost  one  of  the  sheep,  so  that  now  we  had 
only  two  left,  besides  the  poor  goat,  which  was  just  like  a 
dog  in  its  tameness. 

Had  the  old  humbug  lost  all  the  sheep  I  could  have 
understood  the  calamity,  but  to  lose  one,  when  the  little 
beasts  were  always  inseparable,  was  beyond  the  limits  of 
comprehension.  I  could  not  help  thinking  that  Taroman, 
with  his  rascal  instincts,  had  one  of  the  animals  slyly 
hidden  for  future  "  lifting." 

"  Ah  ! "  said  the  hypocritical  delinquent,  "  I  shall  never 
see  master  again." 

"  And  lucky  for  me,  too ! "  I  thought ;  for  I  would 
certainly  become  prematurely  aged  if  he  remained  long 
in  my  train. 

We  soon  overtook  the  party,  which  by  this  time  had 
reached  the  southern   bank   of  the   Hanyane   river.     The 


A    TROUBLESOME  INCUBUS. 


127 


waterway  at  this  point  was  about  sixty  yards  wide  and 
averaging  three  feet  deep.  We  crossed  to  the  northern 
bank,  and  much  to  my  delight  I  found  that  tlio  majority 
of  the  camp-followers — altogether  a  troublesome  iucuLus — 
had  remained  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  being  averse 
to  the  wetting. 

Crossing   the   Umtenge   river,   a   small   affluent    of   the 
Hanyane,  meandering  through  a  country  splendidly  adapted 


MODE   OF   CROSSING   RIVERS. 


for  farming,  and  overgrown  by  coarse,  yellow-tinged  grass 
closely  resembling  fields  of  ripened  wheat,  the  party  sud- 
denly came  to  a  dead  stop,  the  chorus  being  that  they 
would  camp  and  sleep  on  this  favoured  spot.  As  a  matter 
of  course,  John  lay  down,  and  said  that  he  was  sick,  very 
sick  indeed !  But  I  was  both  anxious  as  well  as  determined 
to  proceed,  and  would  allow  no  loitering  or  malingering 
at  this  point.     A  vigorous  protest  was  necessary ;  so  I  at 


128  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

once  declared  an  intention  to  reach  the  town  of  the  chief 
Unyamwenda  that  very  night. 

Just  as  the  day  was  over  we  camped,  and  could  look  back 
upon  the  great  granite  crags  and  rugged  mountain  sides 
up  which  we  had  clambered,  and  which  were  now  glowing 
with  the  streaming  light  of  a  magnificent  evening  sun. 
The  first  day's  march  was  over,  and,  so  far,  had  brought 
nothing  but  fresh  troubles  to  my  mind. 

After  a  very  light  repast  in  the  shape  of  supper,  I  left 
the  camp's  oddly  uninviting  scene,  with  its  rabble  of 
vociferous  natives,  and  climbed  high  among  the  gigantic 
rocks,  until  I  reached  the  topmost  point  of  one  of  the  many 
huge  granite  eminences  which  were  so  prominent  in  the 
surrounding  scene.  While  there  I  looked  about,  and 
suddenly  saw  before  me  one  of  the  grandest  sights  I  ever 
witnessed. 

It  was  an  immense  prairie  fire.  Far  away,  stretching  for 
many  miles,  nothing  could  be  seen  but  a  vast  chain  of  lurid 
fire,  showing  a  wild  appearance,  as  though  the  whole  country 
was  enveloped  by  its  devouring  flames.  It  was  indeed  a 
sight  of  awful  grandeur.  The  long  and  fierce  red  line 
advanced  like  the  phalanx  of  a  great  living  and  destructive 
army.  The  conflagration  seethed  and  hissed  horribly  as  it 
was  swept  onwards  by  the  impelling  force  of  a  hurricane, 
Avhile  tortuous  tongues  of  fire  leaped  upwards  in  flashing 
redness  to  pierce  the  dense  black  clouds  of  darkening  smoke 
which  rolled  in  volumes  over  the  scene  and  intensified  the- 
blackness  of  the  night.  Burnt  stalks  fell  like  black  snow- 
flakes  on  every  hand. 

Quite  alone,  without  a  fear  of  mortal  disturbance,  I  crept 
into  a  small  crevice  in  the  rocks,  and  there,  sheltered  from 
the  elements  of  mischief,  I  sat  and  viewed  with  charmed 
eyes  the  fiery  panorama  which  lay  outstretched  before  me. 


A    STBANGE  POSITION.  129 

ever  growing  wider  and  wilder  as  it  coursed  along.  In  this 
position,  wild  as  the  wind  whistled,  angrily  as  it  howled,  and 
fierce  as  was  the  scene,  I  felt  a  pleasing  sense,  even  of 
repose,  far  different  from  the  agitation  produced  by  the 
noisy  babble  I  had  left  in  camp. 

Naturally  I  meditated  much  upon  my  project,  Eeflecting 
upon  what  had  occurred  during  the  day,  I  thought  that, 
although  we  were  but  a  short  stage  on  our  journey,  I  could 
already  detect  among  my  party  signs  which  were  decidedly 
antagonistic  to  the  plan  of  reaching  the  Zambesi  by  the 
intended  route.  The  position  was  odd.  I  had  no  com- 
panion, no  one  even  upon  whom  I  could  unhesitatingly 
rely.  I  was  a  helpless  wanderer,  directed  by  the  mysterious 
hand  of  Fate. 

Why  had  I  not  gone  to  Mababe  to  hunt  with  Selous, 
at  once  the  best  of  companions  and  friends  ?     Aye,  why  ? 

An  answer  might  be  found  in  the  fact  that  I  still  had 
an  almost  absorbing  interest  uppermost  in  my  mind,  namely, 
to  study  the  life-surroundings,  and  satisfy  myself  as  to  the 
character,  of  the  black  man  in  his  aboriginal  home.  I  also 
wished  to  gain  as  much  knowledge  as  I  could  regarding 
the  real  value  of  the  Dark  Continent  to  the  countries  of 
Christendom. 

To  stop  now  was  utterly  out  of  the  question.  I  had 
started,  and  was  determined  to  get  through  without  turning 
my  back  upon  the  far  extending  prospect  of  the  new  but 
wild  regions.     Adventure  at  all  times  has  its  charms. 

Thoughts  such  as  these  flashed  rapidly  through  my  uneasy 
mind,  until,  overcome  both  bodily  and  mentally,  by  the 
fatigues  of  the  day,  I  dropped  off  into  a  sound  sleep.  Not 
until  the  early  hours  of  the  morning  did  I  awake  with  a 
start,  to  find  myself  still  in  the  crevice  of  the  rocks. 

The  mountain  was  enveloped  in  smoke  and  mist,  and  I 

VOL.  I.  K 


130  TEE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

soon  became  painfully  conscious  that  my  body  was  saturated 
with  an  ice-cold  dew.  In  the  highlands  of  the  Mashona 
country  these  dews  are  very  heavy  at  this  time  of  the  year 
(June),  while  the  morning  air  is  sharp  and  biting. 

Giving  myself  a  good  shaking,  just  to  see  that  I  was  all 
there,  because  I  had  little  actual  feeling  left,  I  returned 
hurriedly  to  the  camp,  where  no  sound  broke  the  silence 
of  the  night  except  a  general  round  of  snoring,  rising  with 
drone-like  monotony  from  the  somnolent  company,  distri- 
buted upon  every  available  space  around  fires  now  reduced 
to  a  few  smouldering  embers.  EoUed  in  blankets,  I  soon 
was  as  unconscious  as  the  rest  of  the  slumberers. 

Unyamwenda,  the  old  chief,  visited  us  in  the  morning. 
Seating  himself  upon  a  boulder,  he  said  he  wished  to  speak 
with  the  white  man. 

I  approached  with  John  and  Karemba,  who  acted  as 
interpreters. 

The  dusky  old  gentleman  had  paid  no  attention  to  the 
niceties  of  the  toilet.  Mark  Twain  has  said  somewhere 
that  the  "women  of  the  Sandwich  Islands  wear  a  long, 
loose,  coarse  garment ;  the  men  don't,"  and  certainly  little 
description  is  required  for  the  costume  of  Unyamwenda, 
whose  figure  the  Lord  Chamberlain  would,  without  a  second 
thought,  have  banished  even  from  the  modem  British  stage, 
and  that  is  saying  a  good  deal.  The  said  apparel  consisted 
of  a  small  skin  carried  over  the  shoulders,  while  a  sporran 
of  the  same  material  completed  the  simple  garb. 

His  Highness  was  exceedingly  dirty,  and  might  be  con- 
sidered a  thoroughly  good  specimen  of  smoke-dried,  well- 
cured  humanity.  With  a  back  resembling  a  side  of  corned 
beef,  his  skin  was  literally  baked,  this  being  attributable 
to  a  custom  of  the  people,  who  sleep  with  their  bodies 
exposed  to  the  heat  of  immense  fires,  which  often  entirely 


UNYAMWENDA.  131 


destroy  the  epidermis,  giving  a  fearful  disfigurement  to  the 
poor  souls. 

As  Unyamwenda  sat  silently  looking  at  me  for  some 
time,  I  judged  from  his  indulging  in  extraordinary  facial 
contortions  that  he  was  suffering  from  surprise  and  injured 
dignity ;  perhaps  being  impressed  by  the  notion  that  the 
white  man  had  treated  him  with  too  much  levity,  for  I  had 
not  even  sent  him  a  present  in  advance  of  my  arrival. 

Thinking  that  I  would  anticipate  his  reproaches  I  pre- 
sented him  with  a  fathom  of  striped  calico  of  a  very  dazzling 
pattern,  also  two  empty  cartridge-cases.  The  latter  are 
used  as  snuff-boxes  by  these  people,  and  are  worn  hanging 
pendant-like  from  necklaces. 

He  then  looked  round  at  the  other  pieces  of  partially- 
cooked  humanity  who  were  grouped  as  his  escort,  and  who 
all  this  time  were  exercising  to  an  awful  extent  their 
frightful  chattering  faculties. 

The  gift  appeared  to  unhinge  his  mental  equilibrium  ;  but 
he  soon  recovered  the  balance,  and,  not  because  he  wanted 
anything  more,  but  simply  from  the  evidently  hereditary 
conception  of  the  race  that  the  chief  end  of  man  is  to  beg, 
he  asked  for  another  snuff-box,  a  very  moderate  demand, 
which  was  at  once  acceded  to. 

"  Have  you  a  waggon  ?  "  was  the  next  question. 

"  Yes,"  I  replied. 

"  Then  why  did  you  not  bring  it  here  ?  "  asked  the  chief. 

"  Because  you  have  not  made  a  road  for  a  waggon ;  so  I 
had  to  come  on  foot." 

Unyamwenda  rose  on  hearing  this  reply.  He  scratched 
his  stomach  for  a  little  time,  then  shook  himself,  and  drawing 
his  shaggy  leathern  cloak  about  his  shoulders,  he  disap- 
peared, without  uttering  a  word,  towards  the  inner  recesses 
of  his  rocky  den. 

K  2 


132  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

For  hours  I  now  tried  to  effect  a  forward  movement ;  but, 
as  I  had  ominously  anticipated,  the  "  roll-call "  showed  an 
extraordinary  reduction  in  the  strength  of  the  party.  I  had 
to  lose  no  time  in  making  overtures,  as  winning  as  possible, 
to  the  expectant  crowd  of  Mashona,  who  stood  eyeing,  with 
the  hankering  stare  of  avarice,  the  white  calico  which  lay  at 
my  side. 

Elbowing  their  way  through  the  encircling  crowd  came 
some  old  grey -haired  men,  who  by  their  interminable 
loquacity  seriously  delayed  our  arrangements.  These  old 
bundles  of  wisdom  were  unconscionably  tiresome;  they 
would  sit  and  talk  by  the  hour,  and,  assuming  the  appear- 
ance of  transcendant  sagacity,  would  contradict  everything 
that  was  said  by  others,  a  weakness  of  vanity  that  is  by  no 
means  confined  to  the  untutored  savages  of  remote  regions. 

I  managed,  however,  to  single  out  one  whose  word  ap- 
peared to  have  most  weight  with  the  boys,  and  giving  him 
a  present  of  some  white  calico,  I  soon  had  the  satisfaction 
of  finding  him  a  staunch  advocate  of  my  cause. 

The  old  fellow  looked  as  though  he  could  number  a 
hundred  years  of  life.  From  constant  roasting  at  the 
blazing  fires,  of  which  I  have  just  spoken,  his  hide  had 
taken  the  appearance  of  gold-beater's  skin,  stretched  upon 
layers  of  rich  leather,  and  looking  as  though  it  could  stand, 
without  a  flinch  or  a  quiver,  the  application  of  a  fiery  poker, 
or  the  touch  of  a  flaming  torch. 

After  a  tremendous  amount  of  talk,  we  managed  to  find 
recruits  to  fill  the  deserted  ranks ;  but  it  required  not  a  little 
energy  and  tact  before  a  start  could  be  effected. 

The  old  man  never  left  us  for  a  moment.  Karemba  said 
that  he  was  wishing  us  a  good  journey,  and  telling  the  boys 
that  they  must  go  well  and  come  back  well  with  the  white 
man.     If  talking  could   have   done  anything  towards  the 


8EBAII,    TEE    WISE  MAN.  133 


realisation  of  our  object,  we  would  have  gone  on  like  an 
express  train. 

This  reference  to  talking  reminds  me  of  a  singularly 
solemn  and  rather  small-looking  man  named  Sebaii,  who 
joined  us  here,  and  offered  his  services  as  a  guide.  He  had 
a  very  remarkable  gift  of  volubility,  and  said  he  was  a  son 
of  a  chief  called  Macheangombe,  whose  town  was  not  very 
far  distant. 

He  had  heard  of  me  and  had  come,  of  course  in  a 
disinterested  way,  to  see  if  he  could  be  of  any  service. 
Sebaii  knew  the  Zambesi  well ;  he  knew  all  the  mountains ; 
he  knew  all  the  rivers ;  in  short,  he  was  a  walking  vade 
mecum,  a  doubly-concentrated  itinerant  encyelopasdia  of 
African  knowledge.  As  he  was  engaged  to  direct  our  way, 
his  load  was  to  be  as  light  as  his  responsibilities  were  heavy. 
Therefore,  excepting  his  own  meat,  his  pillow,  and  assegais, 
he  carried  only  our  canteen,  which  consisted  of  two  bottles 
of  brandy. 

Parenthetically  it  should  be  observed  that  all  the  Mashona 
people  carry  a  small  carved  wooden  pillow,  measuring  about 
nine  inches  in  height,  and  perhaps  about  three  inches  wide, 
the  article  being  intended,  not  only  to  keep  the  head  from 
the  earth,  but  also  to  prevent  so  dire  a  disaster  as  the  dis- 
arrangement of  their  wonderfully  artistic  head-gear. 

From  our  rock-bound  camp  at  Unyamwenda  we  descended 
to  the  great  plain  which  lay  towards  the  north-east.  On 
the  level  everything  smelt  of  fire.  The  whole  atmosphere 
was  obscured  by  thick  clouds  of  ashes,  rising  from  the 
burnt  grass,  which  were  wafted  hither  and  thither  over 
the  parched  and  blackened  plain.  As  I  peered  through 
this  heavy  smoke-like  mist,  I  felt  an  unusual  depression 
of  spirits;  indeed,  little  else  could  be  expected  in  such 
a  scene. 


134  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

Sometimes  the  immense  waste  seemed  to  have  the  appear- 
ance of  an  Indian  shawl  of  gigantic  dimensions ;  the  yel- 
lowish brown  grass  encircling  the  blackened  spots,  and  thus 
forming  a  curiously  eccentric  pattern,  varied  by  the  fickle 
freaks  of  the  wind,  or  abruptly  decked  out  by  the  moist 
places  in  the  verdure. 

We  now  steered  about  N.N.E.  in  direction  (magnetic). 

Intending  to  spur  on  stragglers,  I  was  purposely  in  rear 
of  the  party.  The  first  waverer  I  came  across  was  a  man 
who  had  become  tired  of  carrying  a  load  of  cartridges,  and 
had  quietly  laid  them  down.  I  met  him  on  his  way  back. 
He  said  the  load  was  very  heavy.  Consigning  him  with 
weighty  words  to  a  snowless  region,  I  got  his  abandoned 
burden  placed  upon  one  of  the  spare  men,  whose  actions, 
when  he  raised  the  bundle,  occasioned  grave  thoughts  that 
he,  too,  would  cave  in  and  follow  his  brother  homewards. 
It  was  not  so  this  time,  however,  and  we  forthwith  proceeded 
to  drive  on  the  remainder  of  the  party. 

We  had  marched  only  about  three  hours  when  we  came 
to  a  small  rivulet  called  the  Zururu.  The  afternoon  was 
now  well  advanced,  and  I  could  see  from  the  demeanour  of 
the  Mashona  that  they  had  not  yet  comprehended  the  fact 
that  we  were  actually  en  route  for  the  north,  intending  to 
push  on  in  right  good  earnest. 

I  consulted  with  John  as  to  what  was  to  be  done.  The 
result  was  that  John  went  ofi",  taking  C.  L.  K.,  in  search  of 
game.    It  was  necessary  that  I  should  stay  in  camp. 

"  Good  luck,  John,"  I  called  out ;  "  for  Heaven's  sake  get 
meat,  even  if  you  shoot  away  the  whole  belt  of  cartridges  ! 
We  must  keep  up  our  names  as  hunters,  or  these  people 
won't  follow  us." 

I  then  pitched  the  small  tent  which  I  formerly  described, 
stowing  inside  most  of  the  things  I  wished  to  keep  dry. 


A   FIOHT  FOR   MEAT.  135 

Big  fires,  the  great  essentiality  in  Mashona  comfort,  were 
built  by  the  boys,  and  soon  after  dusk  John  returned.  He 
had  killed  one  eland  (Oreas  canna)  bull  and  two  cows. 
John,  as  he  often  proved,  was  a  splendid  hunter,  and  in 
the  present  instance  I  warmly  congratulated  him  upon  his 
success. 

No  sooner  did  the  Mashona  hear  of  the  meat  than  they 
were  off  in  numbers,  nearly  all  carrying  firebrands,  bent 
upon  gorging  themselves  all  night,  and  bringing  what  was 
left  to  the  camp  in  the  morning. 

A  silvery  sunrise,  which  brightened  the  vast  plains,  found 
the  camp  in  an  active  bustle.  Of  course,  as  usual,  I  was 
anxious  to  be  off,  but  I  had  to  curb  impatience  until  the 
necessary  distributions  of  meat  had  been  carried  out. 

When  it  was  all  brought  in,  Karemba  began  to  give  it 
out  in  portions  to  all  those  who  said  they  would  go  further ; 
but  of  course  there  was  no  knowing  how  far  any  of  the 
carriers  would  go.  After  they  had  been  served,  the  followers 
from  the  town  were  let  loose  into  the  wild-looking  shambles, 
and  then  the  meat  seemed  to  fly  in  all  directions.  Squab- 
bling and  wrangling  over  what  were  considered  dainty  bits, 
they  reminded  me  of  a  herd  of  wild  dogs,  especially  when 
now  and  then  one  of  the  number  would  wriggle  out  of  the 
crowd  and  rush  with  his  portion  to  some  secluded  spot. 

As  I  had  taken  the  precaution  to  keep  a  lot  of  meat  in 
reserve,  I  was  ready,  should  it  be  necessary,  to  give  some 
to  those  unfortunates  who,  spiritless  or  feeble,  would  come 
out  of  the  scramble  without  a  bite,  for  a  few  of  the  more 
energetic  had  made  a  "  corner  "  in  the  meat  market,  and 
seemed  to  have  established  a  monopoly. 

At  length  there  was  only  one  "  bone  of  contention,"  and 
that  happened  to  be  a  leg,  at  which  two  men  hauled  and 
jerked  with  might  and  main,  making  a  single  "  tug  of  war  " 


136  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

of  the  affair,  which  was  watched  with  much  interest,  until 
the  stronger  man  of  the  two  walked  triumphantly  off  with 
the  gory  trophy. 

The  defeated  one  immediately  began  to  shout  most 
lustily,  and  being  joined  by  three  or  four  others,  there  was 
soon  noise  enough  for  any  indignation  meeting,  even  at  home. 
Thinking  the  meat  was  all  gone,  the  fellows  seemed  beside 
themselves  with  rage.  The  scene  baffles  description.  The 
men  seemed  to  be  talking  against  time ;  they  threw  their 
arms  wildly  about,  and  positively  foamed  at  the  mouth. 

Excepting  on  one  occasion,  I  had  never  seen  a  human 
being  foam  at  the  mouth,  and  the  man  I  had  seen  had  been 
drinking.  But  these  combatants  had  nothing  to  imbibe 
except  pure  water,  so  that  their  symptoms  of  rage  could 
well  be  considered  as  a  prodigious,  even  a  masterly,  effort. 

On  inquiry,  I  learned  that  all  this  maddening  row  resulted 
from  the  circumstance  of  each  being  allowed  to  help  him- 
self. The  men  who  were  left  out  were  headmen  of  Unyam- 
wenda,  who  had  expected  me  to  give  them  the  meat  to  take 
back  to  the  chief.  They  said  we  had  been  killing  game  in 
their  country,  and  had  not  given  any  to  the  chief,  to  whom 
the  whole  country  belonged.  Hiding,  therefore,  had  proved 
auspicious.    The  store  in  reserve  settled  the  whole  difficulty. 

With  the  same  noise,  turmoil,  and  trouble  we  again 
managed  to  get  off.  This  time,  however,  I  felt  that  all 
those  who  were  with  me  were  for  the  day  my  men.  The 
hungry  rabble  had  returned  meat-laden  to  the  town,  carry- 
ing with  them  food  for  the  families  of  those  who  were 
accompanying  us. 

Some  readers  may  think  that  I  always  seemed  to  be  in 
a  great  hurry  to  push  on ;  but,  under  the  circumstances, 
activity  in  that  respect  was  absolutely  necessary.  I  had  a 
very  long  journey  to  do,  and  very  little  to  do  it  on. 


ASTUTENESS   OF  NATIVES.  137 

I  have  already  described  some  peculiarities  of  the 
Mashona,  and  may  now  add  that  they  will  carry  only  very 
light  loads,  and  require  more  to  eat  than  any  people  I  ever 
saw.  They  must  have  meal,  and  when  they  get  plenty  of 
meal,  which  is  rather  heavy  and  has  to  be  carried,  they  must 
have  meat,  and  this  you  must  kill  every  day,  for  they  will 
only  carry  very  small  pieces  when  they  are  with  you.  As 
a  matter  of  course,  the  more  men  the  more  provisions.  A 
corresponding  weight  has  to  be  provided  for,  and,  besides, 
there  is  a  limit  to  carrying  capacity  in  connection  with  the 
very  bulky  and  heavy  medium  of  exchange,  such  as  cotton 
goods,  porcelain,  beads,  &c. 

On  every  possible  occasion  the  natives  will  ask  for  cloth, 
and  they  are  not  such  fools  as  not  to  see  keenly  how  tho- 
roughly you  are  in  their  hands,  if  not  at  their  mercy.  True 
to  the  instincts  of  human  frailty,  they  in  many  ways  take 
advantage  of  their  position,  so  that,  in  my  place,  patience, 
perseverance,  and  never-ceasing  energy  were  the  all-im- 
portant qualities  which  might  help  to  carry  me  through. 
With  all  such  primitive-mannered  races  there  is  nothing 
so  influential  as  a  perfect  self-control  in  temper. 

Another  momentous  fact  had  also  to  be  borne  in  mind. 
If  my  small  stock  of  goods  became  exhausted  before  I 
reached  the  Zambesi,  I  should  be  in  a  mightily  awkward 
predicament.  The  people  there  do  "  nothing  for  nothing." 
Remuneration  is  not  called  "  pay  " — it  is  "  present ;"  but 
these  "  presents  "  mount  up  to  an  indefinite  extent,  assum- 
ing at  last  the  proportions  of  unlimited  loot. 

The  country  through  which  we  were  passing  at  this  time 
resembled  a  tract  of  Scottish  moorland  from  which  the 
heather  had  been  burnt.  The  wind  was  high,  and  ashen- 
hued  clouds  were  scudding  over  the  desolate-looking  plains. 
All  the  country  had  a  bare,  flat-like  appearance,  almost 


138  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 


destitute  of  vegetation,  while  the  ground  was  covered  with 
small  stones,  brightened  here  and  there  by  patches  of  short 
coarse  grass. 

Away  to  the  eastward  lay  expanded  a  very  sterile  country, 
of  extreme  flatness,  until  the  horizon  was  broken  by  a  chain 
of  craggy  mountains,  stark  upheavals  of  spire-like  rocks, 
whose  wild  recesses  concealed  Neanda,  a  large  Mashona 
town,  of  which  Setouro  was  the  chief,  and  he  was  said  to 
be  friendly  towards  the  Unyamwenda  people.  As  I  have 
previously  remarked,  these  heights  of  rock  are  peculiar  to 
the  country ;  they  often  tower  hundreds  of  feet  above  the 
land  level,  and  almost  invariably  guide  the  traveller  to  the 
sequestered  towns  of  the  oppressed  Mashona. 

Though  not  very  late  in  the  day,  the  boys  were  making 
constant  halts  which  boded  that  a  camp  would  soon  have  to 
be  formed ;  and  as  I  always  preferred  to  anticipate  the 
wishes,  and  not  allow  them  to  "  run  "  me  altogether,  which 
in  reality  they  were  doing,  I  announced  that  we  would 
make  a  camp  close  to  the  nearest  water. 

We  soon  arrived  at  the  sloping  banks  of  a  small  swiftly 
running  river,  called  the  Gwiwi,  which  flows  towards  the 
Hanyane. 

Wading  through  the  water,  we  had  to  force  our  way 
through  tall  reeds  which  grew  as  thickly  as  grass.  We 
passed  through  a  small  black  swamp,  and,  reaching  the 
other  side,  climbed  the  slopes,  from  which  we  could  see  a 
small  kopjie  surrounded  by  young  forest  trees. 

For  a  camp  the  place  had  quite  an  inviting  appearance, 
and  consequently  a  halt  was  made. 

As  all  the  Mashona  carry  a  small  axe  (the  blade  of 
which,  at  the  cutting  edge,  is  not  more  than  two  inches  in 
width),  they  soon  succeeded  in  clearing  a  comfortable  spot ; 
forming  indeed  a  capital  enclosure  (skerm)  of  young  trees, 


A   POWERFUL   FEAST.  139 

and  branches  which  wound  in  and  out ;  the  whole  being  a 
circular  fence  about  six  feet  in  height,  having  a  small 
opening  as  a  sort  of  gateway,  which  at  night  was  closed  up 
with  scrub. 

Although  the  night  was  dark,  its  gloom  seemed  to  have 
but  little  effect  upon  the  spirits  of.  the  company,  which 
were  very  much  improved  since  the  word-storm  of  the 
morning. 

Immense  fires  were  soon  alight,  with  forked  sticks  on 
either  side,  and  another  stretching  across.  Upon  the  latter 
were  hung  long  strips  of  eland  meat,  so  that  the  little 
camp  was  a  great  kitchen,  redolent  with  the  odour  of 
savoury  roast,  but  never  too  strong,  because  there  was  no 
trouble  about  ventilation  so  long  as  the  mighty  star-lit  sky 
was  our  only  roof. 

The  scene  was  novel  in  every  way.  Indeed  it  was  notice- 
able that,  although  I  had  now  been  camping  for  months, 
newness  in  surroundings  and  experience  was  continually 
present.  Such  changes  might  almost  be  called  kaleido- 
scopic in  their  variety.  At  present  I  was  wandering  with 
a  following  of  Mashona  whose  every  act  was  new  to  me, 
and  supplied  many  oddities  to  arouse  all  sorts  of  quaint 
reflections. 

John  and  the  worthy  trio  were  the  only  companions  whose 
character  and  peculiarities  I  knew  well. 

Animation  of  a  very  lively  description  brightened  the 
camp  as  soon  as  the  first  repast  was  finished ;  and  it  must 
be  noted,  that  with  the  Mashona,  dinner  is  not  over  until 
everything  in  the  shape  of  raw  material  is  demolished,  or 
the  gormandising  powers  of  the  carnivorous  horde  have 
been  defeated  by  repletion.  A  rebellion  of  nature  alone 
can  curb  the  appetite  of  the  insatiable  cormorants. 

Another  indispensable  part  of  the  peculiar  enjoyment  of 


140  THE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

the  Mashona  is  their  music.  They  never  forget  their 
pianos.  Karemba,  as  I  have  said  before,  was  quite  an 
eminent  musician,  and  every  day  his  reputation  as  a  per- 
former was  becoming  greater  and  greater.  He  was  invariably 
the  first  to  touch  the  keys,  and  to  pipe  the  wild  opening 
notes  of  their  weird-toned  song,  which  began  with  a  high 
long-drawn  sound,  and  then  suddenly  dropped  an  octave, 
to  mount  again  shrilly  on  high  as  the  most  coveted  notes  of 
a  Mario. 

All  the  time  he  was  singing  he  danced  vigorously,  now 
facing  to  the  right,  then  to  the  left,  and  throwing  out  his 
feet  sideways  just  as  a  fat  brood  hen  does  when  she  is 
making  a  nice  big  basin  nest  in  your  favourite  border. 
Sometimes,  as  if  mysteriously  moved  by  a  sudden  impulse, 
he  would  bound  rapidly  forward,  holding  out  one  leg  in 
front  while  jumping  with  the  other.  On  the  elevated  limb 
he  continued  to  gaze  intently,  as  though  it  were  something 
particularly  new,  and  of  marvellous  beauty.  He  would 
circle  about  two  or  three  times,  and  getting  thoroughly 
warmed  to  his  work,  as  well  as  strongly  excited,  he  would 
stoop  forward  looking  earnestly  upon  the  ground,  and  then, 
quickly  throwing  his  body  back,  he  would  gaze  into  the 
starry  sky. 

With  leaps  and  bounds  he  described  a  small  circle, 
around  which  by  this  time  all  the  company  had  gathered 
closely,  and  in  sympathetic  admiration  enjoying  the  per- 
formance, clapping  their  hands  and  singing,  while  each 
one  who  entered  the  circle  vied  with  his  predecessor  in 
endeavouring  to  reach  the  highest  perfection  of  emotional 
dancing. 

The  "higher  ape,"  not  to  be  outstripped  by  Karemba 
(who  was  in  himself  a  veritable  show),  jumped  into  the  ring 
trying  to  look  dreadfully  fierce.     He  span  round  like  a  top. 


MERRY  NIGHTS.  141 


first  from  the  left  to  the  right  and  then  vice  versa,  until, 
giddy  and  exhausted,  with  great  beads  of  perspiration 
rolling  down  his  body,  he  fell  out  of  the  ring  to  make  room 
for  another  aspirant  to  the  honours  of  the  native  ballet. 
During  the  course  of  the  dance  the  "  higher  ape  "  enlivened 
his  efforts  by  hideous  imitations  of  all  sorts  of  wild  animals. 

Entertainments  such  as  these  may  be  spoken  of  as  being 
the  drama  of  the  people.  Through  them  our  little  camp 
was  cheered  by  the  mirth  of  its  wild  inmates,  who  alter- 
nately slept  and  awoke,  ate,  sung,  and  danced  throughout 
the  livelong  night. 

Possibly  it  may  seem  strange  to  those  for  whom  "  roughing 
it "  and  wandering  have  no  charms,  when  I  afiirm  that  the 
memory  of  a  night  of  this  description  is  ever  cherished  in 
my  breast,  and  a  mental  revival  of  the  scene  always  arouses 
feelings  of  grateful  pleasure.  Oh,  how  thoroughly  have  I 
enjoyed  those  hours  of  relaxation  in  camp  after  a  long  and 
tedious  day !  Perhaps  it  may  have  been  a  day  rendered 
miserable  by  indescribable  difficulties  and  troubles,  which 
as  a  rule  I  do  not  care  to  dwell  upon  in  thought,  they  being 
past  and  buried. 

It  is  only  natural  to  have  a  feeling  of  happiness  when  one 
finds  himseK  unfettered  and  free  among  a  primitive  race  in 
a  primitive  country,  where  all  the  evidences  of  the  human 
kind  speak  of  the  natural  (that  is  the  wild)  state  of  man. 
To  me  there  always  has  been,  and  I  suppose  ever  will  be,  a 
pronounced  fascination  in  the  circumstances  of  a  genuine 
wild  life.  My  readers  must  not  misapprehend  my  meaning. 
I  do  not  mean  "  roughing  it "  on  a  bottle  of  soda  water  and 
a  ship's  biscuit  in  a  frail  skiff  on  the  upper  waters  of  the 
Thames ;  but  away  in  the  core  of  some  marvellous  region 
whose  land  has  rarely  been  trodden  by  the  feet  of  civilised 
man  and  whose  story  is  unrevealed.     Each  day  in  such  a 


142  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

country  brings  a  new  intercourse  with  unspoiled  Nature, 
new  adventures,  and  new  knowledge,  all  giving  ample  and 
important  subjects  for  steady  reflection  in  times  present  and 
times  to  come.  In  the  condition  of  life  which  men  call 
civilisation  it  is  indispensable  that  the  miod  should  be 
regularly  occupied.  That  strangely  inexplicable  soul- 
yeaming  which  is  inherent  in  every  man's  nature  should 
never  cease  to  urge  us  on  to  the  accomplishment  of  the 
purposes  of  life,  and  to  the  acquisition  of  a  knowledge  of 
its  circumstances. 

In  this  way,  as  years  roll  by,  one's  little  pile  of  know- 
ledge will  be  ever  increasing.  We  may  not  aspire  to  reach 
the  higher  rungs  of  the  shining  and  slippery  ladder  of 
fame,  but  our  accumulation  of  knowledge  will  be  sure  to 
comfort  us  at  some  depressed  period  of  our  lives :  it  may 
also  perch  us  a  step  or  two  upwards  with  a  secure  footing. 
"  The  mind  of  man  in  a  long  life  will  become  a  magazine  of 
wisdom  or  folly,  and  will  consequently  discharge  itself  in 
something  impertinent  or  improving." 

But  what  am  I  thinking  about !     By  this  time  the  sun  is 
high  over  the  little  kopjie  at  the  back  of  the  camp  and  we 
must  be  off.     John  sits  motionless  beside  the  fire. 
"  What's  the  matter  now,  John  ?" 

"  Ah,  master,  I  never  see  people  like  here !  They  want 
to  take  all  de  tings.  My  Gaut !  my  Gaut !  Limbo  and 
beads,  limbo  and  beads,  limbo  and  beads,  everee  day  all  de 
same !     What  shall  us  do  ?" 

I  will  not  weary  my  readers  with  details  as  to  how  we 
settled  such  diflficulties.  The  story  would  be  far  too  long. 
Amidst  all  our  annoyances  even  the  administrative  power 
of  a  Napoleon  would  have  been  frustrated.  I  began  to 
think  what  such  a  man  would  have  done  under  the  circum- 
stances; but  soon  came  to  the  conclusion  that  he  would 


OSTRICHES.  143 


never  have  placed  himself  in  such  a  weak  position,  so  again 
I  turned  round  to  face  the  facts,  the  too  palpable  too  hard 
facts. 

The  sun  near  meridian,  and  not  a  soul  moving !  On 
every  hand  I  have  to  accede  to  loud  and  incessant  craving, 
so  that  limbo  (calico)  and  red  white-eyed  beads  are  dis- 
tributed all  round. 

Some  Mashona  who  had  been  driven  from  their  homes 
during  the  latest  raid  of  the  Matabeli  came  to  see  us. 
They  said  that  there  were  some  ostriches  on  the  plain' 
beyond,  and  they  brought  numbers  of  the  prettily-striped 
skins  of  the  little  ground  squirrels.  Much  as  I  would  have 
liked  to  have  bagged  some  ostriches  I  could  not  suffer  the 
delay,  so  after  the  usual  pangs  had  harassed  my  temper  in 
the  endeavour  to  effect  a  move,  we  were  again  tramping 
northwards  over  the  bare  earth,  which  was  parched  and 
smooth  through  the  grass  being  burnt. 

We  held  on  the  same  course  during  the  following  days. 
The  nights  were  spent  in  uproar  caused  by  the  singing, 
dancing,  and  wild  gorging  of  meat  which  I  have  previously 
described.  These  evening  entertainments  became  so  familiar, 
that  they  hardly  disturbed  me,  and  I  think  I  could  now 
sleep  serenely  amidst  any  surroundings,  even  amidst  the 
fervour  of  an  "Irish  night"  in  Parliament.  That  is  to 
say  if  I  was  not  troubled  in  mind. 

At  that  time  there  was  enough  to  trouble  the  mind. 
The  Unyamwenda  men  were  an  ever  increasing  source  of 
anxiety  and  bother.  They  were  then  trying  all  they  could 
to  frighten  the  six  Chibero  meu,  who,  up  to  the  present, 
had  done  tolerably  well,  but  were  now  becoming  nearly  as 
bad  as  the  others. 

The  course  carried  us  through  vast  undulating  plains, 
broken  by  bald  hills,  and  very  sparsely  dotted  with  solitary- 


144  THE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

looking,  scraggy  upland  trees.  Numerous  rivulets  were 
crossed,  such  as  the  Akanizita,  Watadzi,  Inyaoko,  and  the 
Mswatadze.  The  shimmering  and  murmuring  waters  of 
these  tiny  streams  run  a  winding  course,  north,  south,  and. 
west,  until  they  fall  into  the  Umquadzi  which  conveys  all 
the  water  of  this  great  valley  into  the  Hanyane.  The  im- 
mense dome-shaped,  mountains,  conspicuous  on  account  of 
their  naked  summits,  belonging  to  the  prominent  Umvukwe 
range,  suddenly  spring  into  view  on  our  left.  These  rough 
eminences  form  the  western  barrier  of  the  Umquadzi  valley. 
Our  line  of  march  was  on  the  elevated  but  flat-looking 
eastern  side  which  sloped  gently  towards  the  river. 

Game,  such  as  eland,  bastard  hartebeest,  roan  antelope, 
and  so  forth,  was  very  plentiful,  but  the  herds  could  not 
be  spoken  of  as  being  large.  Hartebeest  were  seen  in  the 
largest  numbers.  Birds  of  any  description  were  very  scarce. 
In  the  forest  belts  small  baboons  were  numerous. 

We  passed  another  town,  lorded  in  this  case  by  a  chief 
named  Mchesa,  the  Vulcan  of  Mashona-land.  His  town  was 
another  example  of  the  vast  monumental  looking  groups 
of  granite  blocks,  tossed  and  tilted  in  every  direction,  with 
deep  rents  yawning  in  their  polished  adamantine  sides. 

After  Mchesa's  town  was  passed,  the  country  became  more 
broken.  On  either  side,  suddenly,  the  view  opened  out 
larger,  for  we  were  now  on  the  great  watershed  between  the 
Umquadzi  valley  in  the  west,  and  the  rugged  country  which 
extended  far  to  the  east,  and  abounded  with  rough  and 
barren-looking  heights,  showing  no  resemblance  to  the 
massive  solid-like  slabs  of  rock  which  composed  the  hills 
we  had  recently  passed ;  they  could  only  be  compared  to 
gigantic  piles  of  shapeless  broken  stones. 

These  ridges  are  known  as  the  Kusaka  mountains.  They 
skirt  the  Grumapudzi,  which  winds   its  way  through  the 


KILLING    TEE  SHEEP.  145 

foothills,  and  flows  in  a  north-easterly  direction  to  discharge 
into  the  Amazoe,  a  tributary  of  the  Zambesi. 

Many  a  good  hunt  was  missed  in  this  part  of  our  journey, 
simply  because  I  had  to  be  constantly  on  the  alert  among 
the  party,  knowing  that  the  less  time  they  had  for  trifling 
talk  the  better  were  the  chances  of  making  them  work  and 
push  on.  At  one  time  a  Koodoo  cow,  which  John  shot,  did 
a  little  in  the  way  of  keeping  them  at  rest ;  but  on  reach- 
ing the  Etsatse  river  the  Unyamwenda  men  declared  they 
were  tired,  and  that  they  wished  some  days  of  rest. 

Well  did  I  know  what  that  meant  !  The  cormorants 
were  calculating  upon  having  an  out  and  out  game  of 
plunder. 

With  the  greatest  diflSculty  I  had  been  able  to  induce 
them  to  pass  Mchesa's  town.  Now,  however,  I  silently  ac- 
quiesced to  their  demands  for  a  halt,  although  I  was  at  all 
times  extremely  loth  to  do  so.  The  fact  was  I  felt  rather 
tired,  not  on  account  of  the  marching  but  through  the  con- 
stantly recurring  difficulties,  which  ever  and  anon  threatened 
to  become  insurmountable  obstacles. 

To  relieve  the  tedium  and  anxiety  of  a  halt,  I  went  out 
in  search  of  game,  a  usual  resource  in  such  circumstances. 
Luck  in  this  case  was  obstinate.  I  had  two  good  stalks, 
but  missed ;  evidently  I  could  not  see  straight,  although  on 
the  way  home  I  shot  two  reed  bucks  (Cervieapra  arundi- 
nacea). 

Kemembering  that  ere  long  we  should  reach  the  tsetse- 
fly  country,  we  now  killed  the  two  remaining  sheep,  sparing 
the  goat  which  by  this  time  had  taken  up  Taroman's  place 
as  a  nuisance,  although  the  four-footed  beast  was  preferable 
on  account  of  its  livelier  nature.  We  had  plenty  of  pro- 
visions for  the  next  day,  and  I  made  up  my  mind  never  to 
kill  the  goat,  which  was  as  tame  as  a  dog,  choosing  to  let 

VOL.  I.  L 


146  TEE  FAR   INTERIOR. 


him  run  his  chance  of  becoming  a  victim  to  the  deadly 
flies,  and  then  give  him  a  decent  funeral. 

The  night  was  dark  and  very  dreary.  The  dismal  air 
deadened  the  spirits  of  the  whole  party.  Even  the  sprightly 
levity  of  the  Mashona  seemed  to  be  buried.  Up  the  valley 
the  wind  blew  "  great  guns,"  bringing  with  it  a  penetrating, 
wetting  mist.  Wrapped  in  our  blankets,  John  and  myself 
crouched  close  to  the  hissing,  badly  burning  fire. 

Melancholy  experiences  once  more  made  John  think  of 
his  home  and  his  "  leetle  wife  "  far  away  in  the  Tati  gold- 
fields.  Lugubrious  meditations  respecting  the  girl  he  left 
behind  him  were  evidently  surging  through  his  depressed 
brain  when  he  would  give  vent  to  an  expression  of  this 
kind: 

"  Oh  !  my  master,  I  go  well  all  de  years  ;  but  dis  year  I 
go  varee  bad.  When  de  master  goes  to  hunt,  de  people 
wants  to  fight  wid  me  all  de  time." 

Knowing  that  sleep  would  be  the  most  beneficial  thing 
under  such  gloomy  circumstances,  I  crawled  into  the 
diminutive  tent  which  Karemba  had  almost  filled  with 
sacks  of  meal  and  other  stores  that  had  to  be  kept  dry.  At 
my  head  was  the  chronometer ;  on  one  side  were  the  rifles, 
gun,  and  cartridges  ;  on  the  other  the  provisions,  the  latter 
being  packed  so  closely  that  very  little  room  was  left  for 
the  old  goat,  who  had  pretty  much  of  his  own  way  in  the 
tent,  seeing  that  I  was  always  happier  when  he  remained 
inside,  for  the  simple  reason  that  when  he  was  outside  he 
invariably  chewed  the  cords,  so  as  to  demolish  the  humble 
erection,  an  efibrt  which  was  more  than  once  crowned  with 
complete  success. 

On  this  especial  night,  some  time  after  I  had  got  soundly 
ofi"  to  sleep,  I  was  startled  by  a  sharp  blow  on  my  back, 
which  was  quickly  followed  by  the  collapse  of  the  whole 


A   MAN  AND    GOAT  FIG  JIT.  147 

tent.  This  was  not  my  first  experience  of  similar  catas- 
trophes, but  my  restive  lodger  had  never  before  treated  me 
quite  so  ungraciously.  Annoyed  by  being  cramped  to  an 
unusual  extent,  the  old  goat  must  have  moved  up  towards 
my  head  in  order  to  get  more  room,  and  meeting  with  dis- 
appointment he  was  consequently  in  proper  form  to  fight 
for  his  rights ;  so  he  banged  away  in  a  most  unceremonious 
manner,  I  all  the  time  making  wild  clutches  in  the  darkness, 
expecting  to  seize  a  horn  or  a  leg.  But  no :  my  irate  com- 
panion was  struggling  to  get  out  of  the  canvas,  and  as  I 
was  bent  upon  the  same  object  we  had  a  regular  rough  and 
tumble  set-to.  The  old  goat  managed  to  make  things  pretty 
uncomfortable  for  the  remainder  of  the  busy  night. 

Before  noon  next  day  a  good  deal  more  game  had  been 
shot,  and  numbers  of  people,  from  a  town  hidden  in  the 
recesses  of  the  contiguous  hills,  came  up  to  us,  bringing 
with  them  a  most  varied  store  of  commodities  for  sale,  or 
rather  in  exchange  for  meat.  Like  a  couple  of  butchers, 
John  and  myself  stood  over  the  heaps  of  game,  carving  and 
cutting  off  the  pieces,  for  which  we  got  in  exchange  sweet 
potatoes  (very  good  when  roasted),  and  other  provisions  for 
the  party. 

Not  a  few  of  our  visitors,  too,  brought  witli  them  gold 
dust,  stuffed  in  large  quills  stopped  at  the  end  with  small 
pieces  of  bark.  Of  this  gold  dust,  and  of  the  gold- 
yielding  region  generally,  it  is  my  intention  to  speak 
more  fully  further  on.  For  the  gold  dust  I  gave  cloth  in 
exchange ;  but,  commercially  speaking,  I  found  that  I  had 
invariably  made  bad  bargains,  the  people  placing  an  extra- 
ordinary value  upon  the  stuff,  as  they  made  signs  that  they 
had  worked  very  hard  to  procure  it.  For  two  fathoms  of 
white  calico  I  bought  a  very  fine  assegai,  of  the  kind  used 
in  elephant  hunting. 

L  2 


148  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

An  afternoon  was  spent  in  prospecting,  my  object  being 
to  see  whether  I  could  find  quartz  reefs  in  the  immediate 
vicinity.  With  this  purpose  in  view  I  roved  observantly 
through  the  rocky  hills- — they  could  not  be  called  mountains 
— which  lay  a  little  to  the  west  of  our  camp,  taking  the 
aneroid  with  me. 

I  found  that  the  divide  between  the  Umquadzi  valley  and 
the  Etsatse  (where  we  now  were  encamped)  was  4450  feet 
above  the  sea.  Although  I  did  not  succeed  in  reaching  the 
Umquadzi  river,  I  inferred  from  natural  evidences  that  it 
should  have  a  large  volume  of  water.  The  area  drained 
by  the  river  is  of  great  extent. 

A  curious  hut  was  seen  during  the  course  of  this  wander- 
ing. It  was  built  of  green  branches  closely  matted  together, 
and  running  up  to  a  point.  The  structure  was  not  unlike  a 
North  American  Indian's  hut,  although  it  had  no  aperture 
for  the  escape  of  smoke,  nor  was  there  a  visible  means  of 
getting  in  or  out.  We  shouted  here  for  some  time  before 
we  received  any  response.  Finally  the  timid  inmates 
became  convinced  that  we  were  friendly,  and  assured  of 
this  made  a  small  hole  by  pulling  aside  some  of  the  inter- 
laced branches. 

I  crept  through  the  opening,  and  found  myself  in  what 
seemed  to  be  the  near  atmosphere  of  a  strong  kitchen  fire. 
Breathing  or  seeing  was  impossible,  owing  to  the  intensity 
of  the  smoke,  which  of  course  had  no  outlet  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  crevices  between  the  leaves  and  branches  of 
the  walls,  which  formed  the  remarkable  fortification. 

Inside  the  Mashona  were  all  cowering  over  the  fire.  A 
few  small  boys  and  dogs,  busily  knawing  bones,  completed 
the  select  and  very  high-smelling  circle.  The  men  were 
smoking  wild  hemp. 

The  boys  who  had  been  hunting  with  me  also  had  to 


CROWDED    QUARTERS.  149 


enter.  I  suppose  it  is  Mashona  etiquette  that  no  stranger 
should  remain  out  of  doors.  A  Kaffir  hut  seems  to  be 
another  of  those  extraordinary  places  which  always  has 
room  for  one  more :  a  tram-car,  for  example,  in  which  an 
emergency  is  seldom  known  when  one  extra  passenger 
cannot  be  squeezed  in.  The  only  difference  I  could  see 
was  that  the  unenlightened  black  quietly  allowed  his 
neighbour  to  be  accommodated  without  looking  at  him  as 
though  he  was  a  dangerous  intruder,  perhaps  an  escaped, 
deeply-dyed  defaulter.  In  those  wilds,  happily,  there  are 
no  austere-looking  dames  whose  withering  looks  are  calcu- 
lated to  make  a  hardened  heart  quiver  through  conscious 
depravity  when  the  possessor  takes  his  rightful  seat  in  a 
railway  carriage,  an  omnibus,  or  a  theatre. 

The  company  and  the  quarters  were  not  in  this  instance 
sufficiently  attractive  to  enthral  me  for  more  than  a  few 
moments,  so  we  were  soon  on  the  move.  After  a  tramp  of 
over  ten  miles  we  once  more  found  ourselves  in  camp.  I 
had  not  found  metalliferous  rock  of  any  description ;  the 
gold-bearing  veins  are  evidently  on  the  Amazoe  river,  which 
lay  to  the  east. 

The  scene  in  camp  contrasted  strongly  with  that  of  the 
previous  night.  A  babble  of  numerous  voices  broke  the 
stillness  of  the  night  air ;  the  stars  shone  out  brightly ;  and 
the  gleam  of  the  wood  fires  was  reflected  in  the  ruddy  glare 
of  hundreds  of  glittering  spears. 

A  whole  community  seemed  to  have  sprung  up  during 
my  absence.  There  must  have  been  at  least  a  hundred 
and  fifty  strangers  from  the  Grumapudzi  river.  All  had 
flocked  to  see  the  white  man.  Each  carried  three  assegais, 
and  every  one  sat  round  the  fire  eating  and  chattering 
vigorously. 

John  said  that  during  my  absence  he  had  bought  some 


150  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

gold  for  me  with  cloth.  Meat  we  exchanged  only  for  meal 
or  other  provisions. 

Something  of  more  importance,  however,  was  his  telling  me 
that  he  had  overheard  what  the  two  leaders  (Shedabarume 
and  Saiika)  of  the  Unyamwenda  had  been  saying.  From 
their  remarks  he  did  not  think  that  they  would  go  any 
farther  without  a  further  supply  of  cloth.  At  that  rate,  I 
thought,  I  should  soon  be  bankrupt. 

Amidst  all  the  inconvenience  I  managed  to  get  an  obser- 
vation of  a  star,  and  so  fixed  the  latitude.  Using  the  top 
of  the  sextant-box  as  a  table,  and  kneeling — for  the  shelter 
was  only  three  feet  high — I  plotted  my  route  on  the  rough 
chart,  which  I  kept  filling  up  as  I  proceeded,  giving  for 
each  day  the  distance  accomplished.  One  fact  made  me  feel 
very  uneasy.  The  position  showed  that  we  were  holding  too 
much  to  the  north ;  and  although  I  had  already  protested 
upon  this  point,  the  Unyamwenda  men  positively  refused 
to  go  more  to  the  eastward. 

I  found  that  we  were  still  a  very  long  way  oif  from  Tette. 
In  a  perfectly  straight  line  the  place  was  157  miles  distant. 
But  in  Africa  mileage  is  not  to  be  defined  by  time. 

I  tried  to  cheer  John  a  bit;  because  I  uncomfortably 
began  to  think  that  his  reflections  were  gravely  inclined 
towards  a  retreat  homewards.  Should  we  only  get  the  men 
to  go  on  with  us  until  we  came  to  some  big  chief,  I  still 
had  sufficient  exchange  to  pay  for  an  entirely  fresh  lot  of 
followers.  Full  of  worrying  thoughts  and  speculations  I 
lay  down  to  rest,  rolling  myself  in  a  good  blanket,  in  the 
comfortable  folds  of  which  I  soon  exchanged  the  woes  of 
the  world  for  the  visions  of  sweet  dreamland. 

The  night  was  much  warmer  than  the  previous  one. 
Earwigs  swarmed  in  the  tent,  but  the  little  pests  run  off  as 
soon  as  you  begin  to  move  about. 


AN  AWAKENING    CAMP.  151 

Before  daybreak  I  was  awakened  by  the  usual  babble  of 
voices,  which  invariably  began  a  discordant  chorus  about 
the  same  time ;  for  the  Mashona  goes  through  a  great  deal 
of  exertion  before  he  springs  up  alert  to  the  day's  duties. . 
First  of  all  he  will  raise  himself  and  gaze  intently  into  the 
fire.  Then  in  an  absent-minded  manner  he  will  beirin  to 
sing,  straining  harshly  the  fibres  of  his  wind-pipe  in  the 
wild  effort  to  reach  the  topmost  notes  of  his  vocal  register. 
This  performance  done  he  will  get  up,  shake  himself,  and 
begin  his  morning  ablutions,  for  which  purpose  a  friend 
holds  a  calabash  of  water,  pouring  it  into  the  palm  of  the 
bather's  hands,  so  that  he  may  wash  his  face,  hands,  and 
especially  his  mouth ;  for  he  rubs  his  singularly  hard  teeth 
vigorously,  using  his  fore-finger  as  a  tooth-brush.  A  morn- 
ing wash  is  essential  to  the  Mashona ;  because  his  eyes  get 
full  of  dirt,  arising  from  the  fires,  blown  into  them  during 
the  night. 

Disputes  usually  begin  with  the  awakening  of  the  facul- 
ties. The  matutinal  quarrel,  as  a  rule,  is  about  meat ;  but 
upon  this  particular  morning,  the  subject  was  whether  the 
Amazuiti,  as  those  people  call  the  Matabeli,  would  or  would 
not  beat  them  in  the  next  fight.  Some  said  that  they 
would,  others  that  they  would  not ;  nay  on  the  contrary  that 
they  would  kill  all  the  Matabeli  the  next  time  they  came. 

Evidently  there  was  a  great  difference  of  opinion.  Now 
and  then  their  wild  shouts  of  laughter  would  ring  through 
the  morning  air,  while  at  other  times  they  might  be  seen 
crouching  closely  up  to  the  fires,  awaiting  their  turn  of  the 
pipe  {ikutu),  from  which  they  would  inhale  the  irritating 
fumes  of  the  wild  hemp.  How  curious  it  was  to  hear  these 
borne-down  people  talking  and  laughing  loudly  about  their 
prospects  against  inevitable  conquerors!  Feeble  as  they 
were,  they  evidently  could  look  destiny  fairly  in  the  face. 


152  THE  FAR  INTEBIOR. 

At  how  many  firesides,  I  wonder,  in  civilised  life  would 
laughter  be  heard  while  anticipation  was  rife  respecting 
the  imminent  invasion  of  predatory  and  merciless  foes  ? 

The  pipe  of  wild  hemp,  as  it  was  passed  from  one  to 
another,  made  the  smokers  cough  with  extraordinary  vigour, 
as  though  they  were  making  a  strong  effort  to  burst  a 
blood-vessel.  At  the  time  I  speak  of,  they  had  reached  this 
coughing  stage,  and  what  with  the  disputation,  the  cough- 
ing, laughing  and  singing,  the  confusion  may  be  better 
imagined  than  described. 

Nevertheless  John  and  I  commenced  to  get  everything 
ready  for  the  advance,  which  it  was  clear  was  to  be  a 
formidable  matter  in  the  way  of  tactical  difficulties. 

As  I  could  readily  perceive  that  it  would  be  next  to  im- 
possible to  set  out  before  noon,  I  produced  my  sextant,  in 
order  to  take  a  meridian  altitude  of  the  sun. 

The  awestruck  astonished  look  on  the  faces  of  the  black 
crowd,  which  surrounded  me,  was  highly  amusing;  one, 
more  bold  than  the  others,  I  allowed  to  look  through  the 
telescope  of  the  sextant,  covered  by  the  red  sun-glass, 
through  which  he  caught  a  glimpse  of  two  red  suns. 

The  sight  evidently  disconcerted  him,  for  he  quickly 
walked  away,  saying  to  his  comrades :  "  There  are  two  suns, 
two,  two ; "  at  the  same  time  holding  up  two  fingers,  so  that 
there  should  be  no  mistake  about  his  "  seeing  double."  I 
am  sure  that  they  thought  the  "  white  curio  "  was  anything 
but  "  canny." 

Among  our  numerous  visitors  were  a  few  more  of  those 
old  grey  haired  bundles  of  sense,  whose  appearance  never 
boded  good.  I  tried  to  get  some  recruits,  but  not  one 
would  consent  to  be  engaged  for  more  than  a  single  day's 
journey.  Under  these  conditions  I  could  not  afford  to  pay 
cloth.     Shedabarume  and  Saiika  caused  more  trouble  than 


NO    THEFTS.  153 


all  the  rest,  for  they  were  perpetually  inciting  qnarrels,  and 
I  had  a  disagreeable  suspicion  that  I  would  yet  have  a  good 
deal  more  difficulty  with  the  intractable  pair. 

Whatever  may  be  the  faults  of  these  people,  actual 
experience  does  not  allow  the  accusation  of  theft.  Very 
easily,  and  without  the  slightest  risk  of  punishment,  they 
could  have  helped  themselves  to  the  stores  which  lay 
about  the  camp ;  but  we  had  no  instance  of  larceny  in  that 
respect.  On  the  contrary,  I  record  with  pleasure  the  oc- 
currence of  a  simple  event,  which  exemplifies  their  innate 
honesty.  Our  hatchet,  a  most  indispensable  article,  was 
dropped  on  the  way;  and  in  the  course  of  a  short  time 
it  was  brought  back  to  us  by  a  total  stranger.  Eeaders 
who  are  inclined  to  consider  this  a  slight  incident,  must 
remember  that  an  implement  of  that  description  is  an 
exceptionally  valuable  acquisition  for  the  equipment  of 
these  unarrayed  children  of  the  wild.  As  a  matter  of 
course,  the  restorer  of  the  property  was  duly  rewarded  for 
his  trouble. 

I  called  up  Sebaii  (who  was  supposed  to  be  our  guide, 
but  for  some  incomprehensible  reason  was  at  all  times  the 
rear  man  in  the  company),  and  speaking  through  John,  in- 
formed him  that  we  were  not  going  in  the  proper  direction. 
Sebaii  was  a  cunning  old  scoundrel.  Looking  downwards 
with  an  amazingly  knowing  leer,  his  only  answer  was : 

"  Ahay,  Ahay,  Seree ! " 

Karemba,  I  suppose,  had  taught  him  this  sentence,  which 
might  be  supposed  to  comprise  all  that  was  necessary  for  a 
conversation  with  a  white  man.  This,  at  any  rate,  was  all 
I  could  get  out  of  our  precious  guide  !  I  had  constantly 
been  told  that  we  would  soon  take  a  turn  to  the  eastward, 
but  now  by  incessant  disappointment  I  was  beginning  to  be 
stubborn. 


154  TEE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

When  at  length  we  succeeded  in  getting  the  party  oif  in 
sections,  crowds  of  Mashona  followed  in  the  wake.  I  was 
the  last  to  leave,  my  companions  being  Karemba  and  the 
**  higher  ape."  The  latter  at  the  time  would  have  been  a 
fine  figure-head  for  a  circus.  His  top  dressing  was  a  marvel 
of  what  was  evidently  considered  the  perfection  of  beauty. 
Feathers  stuck  out  in  all  directions  from  his  head,  while 
down  his  back  monkey  skins  hung  in  ample  folds.  He  had 
also  purchased  an  assegai  to  add  to  his  load.  Clearly  the 
ape  was  imbued  with  a  notion  that  in  his  fearful  and  won- 
derfully made  body  lodged  the  lingering  spirit  of  some 
great  defunct  chief,  so  that  it  was  his  bounden  duty  to 
decorate  to  the  utmost  the  abode  of  the  ghostly  genius. 
How  he  managed  to  buy  the  adornments  was  of  course  an 
unfathomable  mystery. 

Scarcely  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  our  route  had  been  covered 
when  a  tremendous  hubbub  broke  out  in  our  rear.  Startled 
by  the  shouting  we  looked  back  and  distinguished  a  number 
of  blacks  pursuing  at  breakneck  speed.  We  waited  until 
they  came  up,  and  then  the  disclosure  was  made  that  a 
great  indiscretion  had  been  committed  by  having  passed 
through  a  country  without  seeing  the  chief  to  whom  it 
belonged. 

Our  visitors  were  the  slaves  of  Mchesa,  the  chief.  They 
kept  signing  to  me  to  sit  down. 

"  You  cannot  go  farther,"  said  Karemba ;  "  the  chief  is 
coming,"  an  intimation  which  he  repeated  with  great 
emphasis. 

Concluding  that  the  best  plan  would  be  to  sit  still  I  did 
so,  after  sending  a  boy  ahead  to  stop  the  party. 

Very  soon  we  descried  in  the  distance  the  lithe  figure  of 
a  tall  man,  loosely  robed  in  a  large  sheet  half  blue  and  half 
white.     On  he  came,  running  and  walking  alternately,  his 


MCHESA   IS  INDIGNANT.  155 

great  strides  making  him  appear  as  though  his  very  life 
depended  upon  every  step.  For  a  mighty  chief,  this  hasty 
gait  appeared  a  very  undignified  mode  of  locomotion.  His 
anxiety,  however,  was  sufficient  to  show  that  the  old  gentle- 
man had  a  very  great  interest  in  what  was  before  him.  In 
his  mind,  of  course,  calculations  were  rife,  and  visions  loom- 
ing, regarding  the  quantity  of  cloth  he  was  going  to  receive. 
I  had  previously  sent  up  to  his  town  a  message  to  the  effect 
that  I  wished  to  buy  some  assegais,  but  no  response  having 
been  given  for  nearly  two  days,  I  had  given  up  all  hope. 
Now  I  felt  that  the  chief  might  score  one  at  least,  for  he 
had  caught  me.  Not  that  I  had  been  endeavouring  to 
evade  him,  but  in  the  anxiety  to  get  ahead  I  had  forgotten 
a  strong  point  in  savage  etiquette. 

I  was  sitting  under  a  small  bush  trying  to  find  a  shade 
against  the  excessively  hot  sun,  when  Mchesa  arrived, 
panting,  and  apparently  excessively  choleric.  He  at  once 
squatted  on  the  ground,  his  followers  doing  the  same,  all 
clapping  their  hands. 

A  cemetery-like  silence  prevailed  for  some  time.  Then 
the  old  gentleman  having  caught  his  second  wind,  began 
to  pour  forth  eloquence,  speaking  with  so  much  earnest 
volubility,  that  it  was  not  difficult  to  perceive  that  he  was 
getting  rid  of  a  superfluity  of  bottled  rage  which  had 
generated  and  accumulated  during  his  somewhat  arduous 
journey.  His  town  was  at  least  twelve  miles  in  the  rear  of 
our  position. 

After  he  had  finished  his  expostulatory  oration,  Karemba 
and  Sagwam  (the  latter  having  come  back  to  see  what  was 
the  matter)  explained  to  me  as  well  as  they  could  what 
Mchesa  had  said. 

"  His  heart  was  sore,"  it  appeared,  "  that  the  white  man 
had   gone  through  his  country  without  seeing  him.     Ho 


156  THE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

wanted  to  show  assegais  to  the  stranger,  and  how  he  could 
fashion  them  with  his  own  hands.  For  the  latter  purpose, 
he  had  brought  with  him  the  whole  paraphernalia  of  manu- 
facture, bellows,  iron,  &c.,  to  make  them  on  the  spot,  and 
that  he  had  travelled  very  far,  and  would  not  go  farther  ! " 

Answering  the  old  man  I  said,  "  I  had  travelled  much 
farther  than  he  had — many,  many  moons — in  order  to  see 
his  country,  and  that  I  had  sent  his  people  to  say  I  wished 
to  see  his  assegais,  but  thought  he  was  not  coming ;  there- 
fore I  left.  If  he  now  wished  me  to  buy  some  assegais,  and 
to  give  him  cloth  in  exchange,  he  must  come  with  me  to 
where  my  party  was. 

To  this  the  chief  consented,  but  not  without  a  great  deal 
of  coaxing.  It  is  very  unlikely  that  he  would  have  left  me, 
but  he  had  a  hope  that  I  would  bring  the  cloth  to  him. 
We  soon  overtook  the  party  and  marched  on  to  the  Waynge 
river.  Surrounded  by  rocks,  trees,  and  rivers,  we  selected  a 
sheltered  spot,  where  we  might  be  secure  from  a  grass  fire, 
which  had  been  following  pretty  closely  all  along  the 
march,  threatening  to  swallow  up  the  camp.  We  were  in 
such  a  fix  that  I  was  on  the  point  of  ordering  the  party  to 
take  the  things  across  the  river,  so  that  I  was  very  glad 
of  the  assistance  of  the  numbers  who  had  followed  us.  To 
help  in  fighting  against  the  advancing  fire  all  hands  turned 
out,  breaking  small  branches  from  the  trees,  and  moving 
forward  in  a  line  beat  out  the  flames.  Fortunately,  the 
wind  changed,  and  lulled  a  little,  otherwise  these  operations 
would  not  have  been  successful,  the  grass  being  long  and 
very  dry. 

Three  skerms  were  made,  one  for  the  old  chief  Mchesa 
and  his  following,  one  for  the  people  from  the  Grumapudze 
river,  and  one  for  ourselves. 

A  follower  of  Mchesa's  sold  me  a  fine  assegai,  for  which 


VULCAN  IS   0 REEDY.  157 

he  received  cloth  in  payment.  But  when  my  attention  was 
engaged  with  something  else,  the  assegai  disappeared.  In 
a  short  time  I  walked  over  to  where  the  chief  was  talking 
to  the  interpreters.  We  went  in  and  took  our  places  in  the 
circle  that  was  formed. 

The  old  man  was  speechless,  looking  as  though  his  feelings 
had  been  unpardonably  tampered  with ;  his  resentment 
seeming  to  be  a  powerfully  concentrated  essence  of  indigna- 
tion. I  thought  I  would  take  the  cork  out  soon ;  for  close 
behind  him  I  saw,  sticking  in  the  ground,  the  assegai  which 
I  had  bought.     I  gave  notice  that  I  was  about  to  speak. 

Through  Sagwam,  who  acted  as  interpreter,  I  strongly 
protested  against  the  fraud  of  the  assegai  being  taken  back 
after  I  had  lawfully  bought  it ;  telling  the  chief  that  when 
a  white  man  made  a  bargain  he  never  asked  his  cloth  back 
again. 

Mchesa's  reply  was  to  the  effect  that  the  assegai  belonged 
to  him,  and  not  to  the  man  who  had  sold  it. 

On  my  remarking  that  I  wished  to  see  him  work,  he 
answered  that  his  heart  was  sore,  because  after  he  had  come 
so  far  I  had  not  given  him  mataJca  (present).  He  had 
prepared  his  forge  outside,  but  could  not  go  to  work  until 
I  had  given  him  something. 

I  gave  him  a  tolerable  present  of  red  white-eyed  beads, 
but  he  said  that  his  heart  was  still  aching  (for  more),  so  I 
gave  him  a  couple  of  yards  of  splendid  striped  calico 
showing  very  brilliant  and  pretty  colours,  yet  he  did  not 
half  appreciate  its  beauty. 

Vulcan's  face  still  wore  the  cloud  of  disappointed  greed. 
I  asked  for  the  assegai,  and  he  had  the  audacity  to  say  that 
what  I  had  given  him  was  a  present  for  his  having  come 
so  far. 

"You   grasping  old  wretch!"  I  muttered  between   my 


158  THE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

teeth;  "had  it  not  been  that  I  know  that  farther  down 
where  I  intend  going  iron  in  all  likelihood  will  not  be 
found,  and  consequently  no  native  blacksmiths,  I  would 
leave  you  to  yourself." 

Though  I  had  to  pocket  my  pride,  I  was  determined  to 
see  this  primitive  artificer  at  work ;  so  I  continued  to  give 
him  beads,  and  as  he  called  for  more  doled  them  out  by 
degrees,  thus  removing  gradually  the  symptoms  of  disap- 
pointment, until  at  length  his  countenance  cleared,  and  it 
became  apparent  that  his  heart  was  healed. 

I  then  took  possession  of  the  stolen  assegai,  and  the  old 
man  proceeded  to  work.  Negotiating  in  this  fashion  took 
up  a  very  long  time,  particularly  as  I  was  becoming  a  more 
adroit  trader,  and  although  I  had  given  him  beads  many 
times,  the  aggregate  was  not  very  great. 

Old  Mchesa's  blacksmithing  was  really  a  good  effort. 
Throwing  aside  his  ample  robe,  undecked  nudity  was  his 
working  condition. 

He  burrowed  a  hole  in  the  rather  sandy  soil  close  to 
a  place  where  the  underlying  rock  protruded,  to  form  a 
natural  anvil. 

The  tue  "  iron "  was  fashioned  with  clay  baked  to  the 
hardness  of  firebrick.  The  small  nozzle  he  had  brought 
with  him.  The  bellows  were  of  a  duplex  pattern,  consisting 
of  the  whole  skins  of  goats  made  perfectly  air-tight,  except- 
ing the  neck  and  one  of  the  legs,  which  respectively  formed 
the  inlet  and  outlet  for  the  air.  A  strap  was  fixed  across 
the  opening  at  the  neck,  so  as  to  facilitate  the  raising  of 
the  bellows  after  the  air  had  been  forced  to  fan  the  fire. 
The  motive  power  employed  to  work  the  wind  was  an  old 
man ;  who,  seating  himself  between  the  two  goat-skin  bags^ 
placed  a  hand  upon  the  openings  in  each  neck,  and  fell 
to  action,  pressing  down  one  bag,  and  grasping  tightly  the 


VULCAN  AT   WOBK.  159 

place  where  the  hole  was,  so  as  to  prevent  the  escape  of 
air.  As  he  did  so  he  would  relax  his  hold  upon  the  other 
bag,  raising  it  up  meanwhile  so  as  to  allow  it  to  refill.  In 
this  way  a  continual  blast  of  air  was  kept  up  to  the  fire. 
This  novel  apparatus  completed  the  improvised  smithy. 

The  workman's  tools  consisted  of  two  small  square  blocks 
of  iron  weighing  about  three  pounds  each — these  Avere 
hammers — and  a  pair  of  tongs,  made  from  the  grcenbark 
of  the  Machabele-tree.  With  these  appliances  at  hand  all 
was  ready  for  operations. 

Taking  a  piece  of  crude  iron,  which  still  retained  some  of 
the  slag  of  the  native  smelting  furnace,  Mchesa  heated  it, 
and  went  through  the  regular  process  of  "  drawing  it  out " 
by  means  of  hammering,  his  sledge  hammer  being  a  piece 
of  water-polished  black  basalt,  as  hard  as  iron,  taken  from 
the  bed  of  the  Waynge  river  close  by.  The  sledge  was  used 
by  a  lusty  savage,  who,  taking  two  steps  backwards,  would 
then  come  forward  with  an  energetic  impetus,  bringing 
down  the  stone  on  the  iron  like  a  trip  hammer. 

Mchesa  conducted  himself  as  a  thorough  tradesman  (and 
seemed  to  be  fully  aware  of  the  fact),  knocking  the  dust  off 
his  hands,  and  watching  with  a  knowing  eye  the  appearance 
of  the  glowing  flame.  He  never  stood  erect,  but  always 
worked  in  a  sitting  posture,  and  everything  he  did  was 
accomplished  with  ease,  dexterity,  and  I  might  almost  say 
gracefulness.  The  tongs  had  to  be  renewed  now  and 
again. 

No  one  could  have  the  slightest  doubt  that  the  chief  was 
looked  upon  as  a  remarkably  clever  man  by  all  around  him. 
He  talked  all  the  while  to  the  old  boy  at  the  bellows,  who 
never  spoke,  excepting  when  he  gave  vent  to  a  monosyllabic 
negative  or  affirmative,  and  who  deported  himself  in  a 
wonderful  manner,  starting  or  stopping  at  any  part  of  the 


160  TEE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

stroke  like  a  well-regulated  engine,  hanging  his  head  to  one 
side  as  though  the  weight  of  his  brain  when  thoroughly 
set  in  motion  would  weigh  him  to  the  earth. 

A  delightful  feeling  came  over  me.  Now  shall  I  show 
my  knowledge  of  character  by  overcoming  this  cantankerous 
old  tiger,  and  making  him  perfectly  good-natured,  for  as  he 
is  capable  of  being  so  dreadfully  cross,  he  must  also  have 
the  power  of  being  the  reverse.  I  must  endeavour  to  see 
the  other  side  of  his  face. 

The  assegai  was  fashioned,  and  the  chief  asked  me  if  I 
wanted  it.  Knowing  his  character,  I  said  I  would  buy  it 
from  him.  He  then  made  me  some  more,  for  all  of  which 
I  gave  in  exchange  some  article  that  pleased  his  fancy. 

So  as  to  observe  the  effect  I  tried  to  flatter  Mchesa,  telling 
him  that  he  was  very  clever,  that  the  assegais  were  beauti- 
fully made,  that  I  would  take  them  home  and  show  them 
to  my  white  brothers,  and  that  I  did  not  know  of  any  white 
man  who  could  make  an  assegai  so  well. 

He  seemed  pleased  to  hear  all  this,  but  was  altogether 
too  great  a  man  to  show  his  emotion,  saying,  however,  that 
it  was  not  his  fault  that  he  did  not  make  me  lots  of  assegais. 
I  thought  that  at  the  price  such  a  transaction  would  be  a 
considerable  commercial  failure  on  my  side. 

It  ought  to  be  mentioned  that  the  ironstone  (a  piece  of 
which  they  brought  to  me)  as  found  by  the  natives  of  this 
locality  looks  like  a  brown  haematite. 

Mchesa,  when  seen  closely,  was  a  man  of  moderate  stature, 
about  forty-five  years  of  age.  His  garb  consisted  of  the 
plain  white  and  blue  cotton  robe  of  which  I  have  spoken, 
but  on  his  head  he  wore  a  wreath-like  ornament  of  otter 
skin,  decorated  with  white  fossil  shells  found  in  the  bed 
of  the  Zambesi.  Known  to  be  by  nature  rather  cross,  the 
Vulcan  was  in  fact  an  exceedingly  crabbed  old  party. 


THE  BOY   UMFANA.  161 

i fearing  a  great  uproar  in  the  camp,  I  hurried  biurk,  and 
found  that  Sagwam  and  a  strange  boy  had  been  conversing, 
and  had  aroused  the  Unyamwenda  by  something  they  hud 
said. 

Shedabarume  and  Saiika  were  by  this  time  very  obnoxious, 
almost  unbearable  in  their  manner.  I  had  observed  on  the 
road  from  the  last  river  that  neither  had  carried  their  loads 
to  this  place,  but  had  transferred  them  to  two  strangers. 
People  in  those  climes  will  impose  uj)on  each  other  as  nefa- 
riously as  any  race  I  know  of.  I  have  watched  them  piling 
their  loads  upon  others,  and  giving  in  return  for  the  relief 
a  small  piece  of  meat  or  a  few  beads,  sufficient  of  the  latter, 
perhaps,  to  make  an  earring.  The  unfortunates  continue 
to  carry  their  burdens  until  the  limit  of  endurance  has  been 
passed,  and  then  down  go  the  things  and  a  row  ensues. 

The  aspect  of  affairs  clearly  showed  that  a  disturbing 
element  was  developing  in  the  camp.  Trouble  of  some 
description  seemed  to  be  imminent. 

Inquiring  of  John  about  the  matter,  he  said  that  a 
Mashona  boy  who  had  been  captured  during  a  JMatabeli 
raid,  and  had  been  taken  to  Buluwayo,  but  had  effected 
an  escape,  was  in  camp,  and  he  it  was  who  liad  been 
speaking  to  Sagwam,  and  whose  remarks  had  aroused  the 
trouble. 

The  boy  had  declared  that  they  were  taking  the  white  man 
in  a  wrong  direction.  He  had,  it  seemed,  seen  other  white 
men  when  he  was  at  Buluwayo,  and  as  he  looked  rather  a 
bright  youth  I  told  John  to  enlist  him.  He  was  christened 
"  Umfana,"  which  is  the  Matabeli  word  for  boy. 

I  was  very  glad  to  get  the  recruit,  if  only  for  the  reason 
that  the  merest  ray  of  light  from  the  outer  world  was  most 
acceptable  in  these  utterly  barren  life-scenes. 

On  that  night  the  view  of  the  camp  was  weirdlike  in  its 

VOL.  I.  M 


162  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

wildness,  reminding  one  strongly  of  the  romance  pictures 
of  the  home  of  a  horde  of  brigands. 

Towering  on  every  side  around  were  great  precipitous 
rocky  cliffs,  with  ragged  nooks  and  crannies  vividly  exposed 
under  the  blood-red  light  radiating  from  the  dancing  flames 
of  our  primitive  fires.  It  was  this  wildly  picturesque  back- 
ground that  gave  to  the  shelter  its  brigandish  appearance, 
only  the  camp  was  perfectly  open  in  its  display  of  warlike 
appurtenances,  for  on  every  side  a  perfect  forest  of  glancing 
spearheads  reflected  the  light  of  the  starlit  sky.  Groups  of 
men  circled  round  the  crackling  blaze,  and  their  black  skins 
shone  so  that  individually  they  looked  like  wet  bronze 
statues  under  the  glare  of  an  electric  light. 

As  the  darkness  deepened,  one  could  see  how  the  instinct 
of  clanship  strengthened.  The  party  divided  into  its  three 
natural  parts,  each  going  to  its  especial  enclosure,  in  the 
shape  of  a  rough  hedge  hastily  and  rudely  formed  from 
branches  and  trunks  of  trees,  with  the  coarse  wild  grass 
peeping  up  here  and  there  through  the  crevices,  and  some- 
times drooping  gracefully  to  mingle  with  the  verdant  foliage, 
which  in  the  daytime  imparted  a  certain  luxuriance  to  the 
romantic  scene.  Is  it  possible,  amidst  such  a  scene,  that 
in  anyone's  mind  there  would  not  crop  up  some  reflections 
upon  the  universality  of  the  rules  in  Nature's  guidance 
of  man  ?  In  that  diminutive  and  strangely  placed  camp 
the  nations  of  the  world,  in  a  manner,  were  pictured. 

Multitudes  had  been  divided.  Each  individual  assem- 
blage had  been  formed  into  its  family — its  clan — and  had 
become  a  body  animated  in  itself  by  fraternal  ties  and 
kindred  aspirations.  Contrasts  of  content  and  discontent 
were  to  be  found.  On  one  hand  might  be  seen  the  family 
which  was  ever  ready  to  listen  patiently  to  the  voice,  and 
attend  humbly  to  the  commands  of  its  head  who  had  risen 


TROUBLES   THREATENING.  163 


to  despotic  power,  and  ruled  his  people  with  an  inflexible 
hand.  On  the  other  side  might  be  observed  the  nomad  clan 
— chiefless,  perhaps —wandering  thriftless  but  thoroughly 
contented  in  a  land  where  the  necessaries  of  life  were 
plentiful,  and  where  they  would  sink  without  a  thought  into 
impotent  rest.  In  the  third  place  were  the  reckless  people, 
destined  to  drift  helplessly  toward  the  darkness  of  anarchy 
and  the  doom  of  dissolution. 

Not  without  reason,  I  had  a  strong  idea  that  the  latter 
was  the  condition  of  my  camp. 

I  lay  in  the  small  tent  for  hours  trying  to  gain  a  little 
sleep.  Towards  midnight,  however,  the  ever-increasing  hum 
of  excited  voices  reached  such  a  pitch  that  I  turned  out, 
being  convinced  that  what  Artemus  Ward  would  have  called 
"  a  fite  "  was  on  the  verge  of  commencing. 

So  far  as  I  could  see,  Shedabarume  and  Saiika  were  having 
the  best  of  the  trouble.  The  Chibero  men  seemed  to  have 
separated  themselves  entirely  from  the  Unyamwenda,  and 
were  sitting  apart  at  a  special  fire. 

I  walked  around  the  crowd,  sitting  first  at  one  fire  and 
then  at  another,  without  understanding  a  single  word  of 
what  was  being  spoken. 

My  wish  was  always  to  look  utterly  regardless — a  feat, 
however,  which  was  not  at  all  times  successful.  In  the 
present  instance  I  wandered  indifferently  about  for  a  time, 
and  at  last  got  alongside  of  John,  who  declared  that  he 
quite  understood  what  all  the  row  was  about. 

The  people  had  been  threatening  to  kill  Sagwam,  for 
having  interpreted  their  sayings,  and  those  of  the  new-comer. 
Very  little  love  was  lost  between  them  and  Sagwam,  who, 
although  of  Makalaka  origin,  was  born  and  reared  in  Mata- 
beli-land,  and  was  instinctively  of  Matabeli  habits  and 
notions.    He  was  always  committing  the  unfortunate  blunder 

M  2 


164  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

of  calling  the  people  "umtagate,"  which  means  most  of 
things  that  are  bad.  Mayhap  Sagwam  was  right,  for  their 
incessant  and  discordant  chatter,  and  angry  tones  of  dis- 
agreement, indicated  the  hatching  of  all  sorts  of  schemes 
to  lead  the  white  man  astray.  Had  I  known  all  that  was 
said,  my  mind  might  have  been  more  perplexed  than  it 
was  even  then. 

.  Shedabarume  and  Saiika  were  at  length  quieted,  and 
things  began  to  wear  a  more  promising  aspect  of  peace. 
The  resistless  power  of  sleep,  too,  seized  the  majority  of  the 
crowd,  so  that  I  took  an  early  opportunity  to  crawl  back  to 
my  rude  shelter,  and  try  to  find  the  same  relief. 

A  very  restless  slumber  rewarded  me,  and  I  was  up 
betimes  in  the  morning.  Getting  up  under  the  circum- 
stances did  not  entail  much  trouble,  for  at  night  I  never 
took  off  my  clothes,  and  a  rough  shake  was  the  only  dress 
preparation  for  the  day. 

On  mingling  among  the  people  I  learned  that  the 
disturbance  on  the  previous  night  had  culminated  in  a 
separation. 

Some  said  they  would  go  on  with  me  ;  others,  including 
of  course  all  the  Unyamwenda,  refused  to  go  another  step. 
Forgetting  all  the  cloth,  beads,  and  so  forth  I  had  given 
them,  never  to  speak  of  such  requisites  as  meat  and  meal, 
they  were  quite  ready  to  desert  in  the  open  veldt,  and  of 
course  they  thought  they  had  cornered  me. 

Meditating  upon  every  contingency  of  the  situation,  I 
finally  concluded  that  from  these  Unyamwenda  I  could 
never  expect  to  have  any  peace.  Besides,  with  my  slender 
stock  of  goods,  doled  out  at  the  rate  I  had  been  paying  them, 
I  could  never  hope  to  reach  the  Zambesi.  Henceforth  I 
decided  to  look  upon  them  as  strangers.  I  would  grasp  at 
no  more  straws  floating  upon  the  waters  of  conciliation. 


KAREMBA   IS  DOUBTFUL.  165 

We  were  then  upon  the  southern  bank  of  the  Waynge 
river,  and  I  was  determined  to  get  away  somewhere,  of 
course  towards  the  north.  With  this  resohition  firmly  im- 
planted in  my  mind,  I  tore  off  some  strips  of  white  calico, 
and  spread  them  out  before  me,  placing  upon  each  a  small 
palm  full  of  beads,  and  saying  that  I  would  give  to  each  of 
four  boys  who  would  accompany  me  to  the  nearest  chief 
towards  the  north-east,  pointing  at  the  same  time  in  that 
direction,  one  of  the  separate  portions  of  calico  and  beads. 

Out  of  the  numbers  present  four  said  they  would  go. 
Even  these  were  recruited  from  among  outsiders,  and  did 
not  seem  particularly  anxious  to  proceed.  Naturally  I  had 
to  try  to  induce  Karemba  to  come  on,  as  it  was  my  intention 
to  leave  all  the  rest  with  John,  including  Sagwam,  the  new 
boy  Umfana,  and  the  "  higher  ape." 

Karemba,  I  could  see,  was  troubled  in  his  mind. 

Up  to  this  time,  as  the  reader  cannot  have  failed  to  notice, 
there  had  been  perpetual  objections  on  the  part  of  the 
Unyamwenda  to  move  in  the  direction  in  which  I  wished 
to  proceed.  The  present  mutiny  was  clearly  a  troublesome 
development  of  this  untoward  obstinacy. 

Taking  Karemba  aside,  I  said  I  wished  him  to  accompany 
me  to  the  nearest  chief,  in  order  to  try  and  procure  boys  to 
carry.  He  replied  that  he  was  tired,  and,  besides,  the  other 
natives  had  told  him  that  the  tribe  living  on  the  Ruia  river 
would  be  sure  to  "  kill  the  white  man  and  all  his  boys." 

Although  I  could  converse  with  Karemba,  and  understand 
his  remarks  well  enough,  still  on  important  occasions  I 
would  make  him  communicate  his  speech  through  John. 
I  assured  him  that  he  was  thoroughly  safe.  In  fact  it  was 
a  part  of  ray  diplomacy  to  impress  upon  all  the  men  their 
absolute  immunity  from  danger,  so  that  they  must  have 
wondered  what  could  be  my  concealed  power  of  protection. 


166  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

But  Karemba  required  a  great  deal  of  suasive  coaxing. 
A  present  or  two,  however,  had  more  influence  than  words, 
so  after  a  little  reflection  he  consented. 

John  did  not  like  the  proceedings.  He  looked  upon  me 
with  saddened  eyes,  as  I  packed  up  the  few  articles  that 
it  was  essential  we  should  take.  When  all  was  ready,  I  bade 
him  a  hearty  "  good-bye,"  telling  him  to  keep  up  his  spirits, 
and  to  have  his  eyes  wide  open  in  looking  after  the  things. 

I  did  not  know  where  I  was  going,  but  I  felt  an  undefinable 
confidence  that  the  journey  would  be  attended  with  success. 

A  few  of  the  Unyamwenda  sat  sulkily  beside  the  path 
which  led  to  the  water,  watching  as  we  started  blithely  off 
at  a  swinging  gait. 

Crossing  upon  the  black  polished  boulders  of  the  Waynge 
river,  we  climbed  the  hilly  bank  to  the  north ;  thence  we 
turned  in  a  north-easterly  direction,  and  in  a  little  time 
entered  the  deep  recesses  of  the  surrounding  mountains. 


(     167     ) 


CHAPTER  VII. 

FBOM  THE  WAYNGE  RIVER  TO  THE  UMVUKWE  MOUNTAINS. 

Sebaii  the  orator — Appearance  of  the  country — The  Ruia  river — "  Igova, 
Muliliti " — The  solemnity  of  snuffing — Fortunate  sliootiug — "  Ton 
thousand  devils,  John  and  Sagwam  dead  ! " — The  treacherous  Unyam- 
wenda — An  early  start — Effects  of  a  sudden  appearance — John  in 
despair — Astonishing  the  disturbers — Lucky  help — -Necessity  for  quick 
progress — Visit  to  Muliliti,  the  chief — His  home  circle — The  'cute  old 
dodger  Sandani — Feet  torments — Marshy  country — New  carriers  and 
a  new  guide — A  marrow-bone  feast — Endurance  of  natives  on  tlie 
march — Signs  of  lions — The  Umzengezi  river — Discouraging  news — 
Humours  of  roll-call — Splendid  view  from  the  Uravukwe  mountains — 
Solitude. 

The  advancing  party  consisted  of  Karemba,  four  men,  and 
old  Sebaii,  who  carried  his  wooden  pillow,  also  the  general 
utility  saucepan  and  small  kettle,  which  likewise  served  as 
a  teapot,  or  anything  else  in  the  way  of  a  drinking  or 
liquid  boiling  utensil,  it  mattered  not  what. 

Utterly  useless  as  a  guide,  and  very  indifferent  as  a 
carrier,  Sebaii  was  a  fine  specimen  of  a  JMashona  fireside 
orator,  magnificent  in  his  talk,  a  prince  of  humbugs,  and  an 
unrivalled  snuffer  and  peacemaker.  He  had  been  enlisted 
at  Unyamwenda,  but  in  reality  had  no  connection  with 
that  town.  I  was  glad  to  get  him,  especially  because  I 
had  not  the  faintest  notion  of  the  character  of  the  country 
into  which  fate  would  lead  me,  nor  of  the  monsters  of  the 
human  species  whom  I  might  encounter. 

As  we  looked  back  upon  the  route  we  had  traversed,  we 


168  THE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

could  see  towards  the  south  steep  cliffs  and  deep  shadowed 
canons,  forming  a  scene  that  was  majestic  in  its  grandeur. 
On  our  side  of  the  Waynge  river  the  country  displayed  a 
series  of  hills,  threaded  by  well-watered  ravines  all  des- 
cending towards  the  south-east;  the  rivulets  draining  a 
somewhat  sterile  tract,  sparsely  covered  with  a  growth  of 
low  forest. 

Hartebeest,  roan  antelopes,  zebras,  and  other  swift-footed 
fauna  abounded  in  this  region. 

The  gloamin'  found  us  camped  under  the  shelter  of  a 
small  clump  of  bush  in  a  strip  of  low-lying  meadow-land, 
on  the  southern  bank  of  the  Kuia  river  and  in  close 
proximity  to  its  head-waters.  This  stream  is  the  principal 
tributary  of  the  Amazoe,  which  drains  a  very  large  area 
and  finally  joins  the  Zambesi,  about  twenty  miles  south-east 
of  Tette. 

A  distance  of  fourteen  miles  now  lay  between  my  two 
camps. 

The  new  guide,  Amenanza,  was  a  tall  and  a  fine  man ;  the 
most  picturesque  specimen  of  a  Mashona  I  had  seen,  having 
a  costume  of  the  most  meagre  description,  consisting  of 
a  small  skin  around  the  loins,  bracelets  of  buffalo  hide, 
and  large  earrings  of  brass  wire.  For  weapons  he  had  a 
knobkerry,  three  assegais,  and  a  hatchet. 

That  he  had  led  us  a  rather  roundabout  way  over  a 
mountainous  country  was  very  apparent ;  but  he  now 
assured  me  that  we  were  near  a  town. 

Pointing  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  Amenanza 
directed  especial  attention  to  a  granite  mountain  ;  one  of 
many  which  lined  the  northern  edge  of  the  water,  and 
seemed  to  spring  up  abrupt  and  isolated  from  the  plain, 
with  intervening  expanses  of  level  land,  then  another  hill, 
and  so  on  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach. 


SOLEMNITY  OF  SNUFFING.  1()9 

"  Igova — Miililiti,"  he  said,  which  I  found  to  be  the 
names  of  a  town  and  its  chief. 

Oh,  how  contented  I  felt  with  these  few  men!  There 
was  no  wrangling.  Everything  seemed  to  go  on  smoothly. 
Free  from  carking  care  I  sat,  until  very  late  in  the  night, 
before  the  crackling  blaze  of  an  immense  fire  roasting  pea 
nuts,  and  learning  as  much  as  possible  of  the  IMashona 
tongue.  Distraction  of  some  kind  was  bound  to  turn  uj), 
and  just  as  I  was  dropping  off  to  sleep  it  came  to  my  mind 
that  I  had  forgotten  to  tell  John  to  wind  the  clirono- 
meter.  To-morrow,  however,  if  I  succeeded  in  getting  boys, 
precautions  could  be  taken  before  it  had  run  down. 

Sebaii,  by  stentorian  shouts,  was  the  harbinger  of  another 
dawn,  as  he  sang,  or  rather  shrilly  screamed  his  morning 
chant,  straining  his  voice  to  the  utmost  tension  of  his 
india-rubber  windpipe. 

Two  boys  were  immediately  dispatched  to  the  chief  of 
the  town,  to  inform  him  that  I  desired  to  speak,  and  that 
if  he  came  to  the  camp  he  would  get  a  present. 

The  people  of  the  town  must  have  espied  us  on  tlic 
previous  night,  for  but  a  little  time  elapsed  before  the  chief 
and  a  large  following  appeared  and  seated  themselves  in 
groups.  Karemba  welcomed  the  chief,  and  Sebaii  seemed 
quite  in  his  element  as  a  courtier.  The  latter's  grave 
demeanour  befitted  the  importance  of  the  occasion :  he 
kept  his  eyes  riveted  upon  the  ground,  while  he  clapped 
his  hands  to  greet  with  generous  warmth  the  new-comers. 

My  consequential  follower  then  produced  his  snuff-box, 
which  consisted  of  a  small  calabash  ornamented  with  brass 
wire.  The  box  was  first  handed  to  the  chief  and  then  to 
those  who  stood  around.  Sebaii  managed  his  snuffing  with 
the  same  silent  solemnity  that  might  be  expected  from  a 
Scotch  Presbyterian  elder,  when   tapping  his  box  at  the 


170  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

opening  up  of  a  doctrinal  question  before  the  minister. 
Exactly  in  the  same  way  Sebaii  gravely  tapped  his  box, 
and  handed  it  round.  When  he  had  no  snuff  he  would 
just  as  solemnly  and  naturally  pick  up  a  couple  of  pebbles, 
and  grind  some  loose  tobacco  into  a  powder,  of  which  he 
took  a  pinch  and  then  held  the  rest  out  for  the  acceptance 
of  his  companions. 

In  the  present  instance,  a  good  deal  of  sneezing  and  hard 
coughing  followed  the  friendly  pinch.  The  strangers  gazed 
at  me  with  keen  scrutinizing  glances. 

Sebaii  then  entered  upon  a  protracted  and  eloquent 
oration,  which  was  followed  by  a  long  response  from  the 
chief. 

After  I  had  presented  the  latter  with  a  piece  of  cloth, 
Karemba,  who  acted  as  intermediate  spokesman,  assumed  a 
lofty  air  as  if  it  was  the  chief  who  in  reality  required 
assistance,  and  not  the  chiefs  rather  dissimulating  sup- 
plicants. Karemba,  too,  made  numerous  promises  saying 
that  if  the  chief  would  assist  by  sending  boys  to  fetch  my 
baggage  at  once  prompt  remuneration  would  follow. 

As  was  usual  in  all  such  cases  there  was  a  good  deal  of 
argument.  To  my  amazement  the  people  proved  friendly. 
They  were  quite  ready  to  go,  but  said  they  wanted  meat. 
Answering  this  request,  I  said  that  as  soon  as  I  saw  them 
leave  I  would  go  and  hunt.  They  then  informed  us  that 
they  knew  a  shorter  way  to  the  other  camp  than  that  by 
which  we  had  come,  and  would  be  back  as  soon  as  possible. 
Greatly  gratified  with  the  success  in  this  matter,  I  started 
off  to  hunt  in  the  best  possible  spirits. 

Striking  buffalo  spoor,  we  tracked  upon  it  for  a  consider- 
able distance.  Suddenly  Amenanza,  who  was  my  only 
companion,  pointed  sharply  to  a  small  clump  of  trees,  and 
following  the  guidance  of  his  hand  I  could  distinguish  a 


VITALITY   OF  ANTELOPES.  171 


moving  object  amid  the  copse.  Creeping  up  and  hngging 
the  ground  as  closely  as  possible,  I  soon,  by  a  rapid  peep 
over  the  top  of  the  grass,  discerned  the  quarry — a  fine  sable 
antelope  bull  (Hippotragus  niger),  with  a  magnificent  head, 
and  beautiful  sweeping  horns. 

Fortune  was  clearly  favourable.  I  could  not  do  bettor 
than  accept  her  offer ;  for  were  I  not  able  to  find  buffalo,  I 
might  have  to  face  the  disappointment  of  going  back  empty 
handed  to  the  camp,  and  with  the  knowledge  tliat  on  the 
return  of  the  boys  with  John  there  would  be  no  meat,  and 
consequently  much  delay. 

Aware  of  the  importance  of  success  I  took  a  very  careful 
aim,  fired,  and  managed  to  bag  the  fine  beast  I  had  been 
admiring. 

With  a  few  bounds  Amenanza,  looking  like  a  gladiator, 
was  soon  upon  the  spot  endeavouring  to  extinguish  life 
with  the  assegai.  But  the  vitality  of  these  animals  is 
wonderful  in  its  endurance.  Expert  as  this  man  was  with 
his  weapon,  and  although  the  shot  had  penetrated  just 
behind  the  shoulder — a  little  high — it  was  some  time  before 
the  antelope  died  outright. 

From  marks  upon  the  body  it  was  evident  that  some 
wild  animal  had  attacked  it.  The  quarters  I  found  to 
be  very  much  marked  by  the  claws  of  some  beast  of  prey, 
probably  a  leopard  or  lion.  I  soon  was  at  work  skinning 
the  carcase,  and  cutting  the  meat  into  loads  that  might  be 
conveniently  carried.  To  skin  and  cut  up  so  large  an  animal 
quickly,  is  pretty  hard  work. 

The  boy  who  was  with  me  was  sent  back  to  camp  to  tell 
some  of  the  people,  who  had  assembled  before  we  left,  to 
come  and  carry  back  the  meat.  The  inducement  was 
effectual,  for  very  soon  a  crowd  of  men  arrived,  surrounding 
me  and  showing  their  eagerness  for  meat  in  a  most  urgent 


172  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

manner.  I  gave  them  the  "  internals  "  of  the  beast  (the 
rest  having  to  be  kept  for  the  workers  of  my  party),  and 
they  literally  fought  like  fiends  for  the  possession  of  the 
stuff,  tearing  the  flesh  into  shreds ;  one  man,  perhaps, 
coming  out  of  the  fray  with  just  as  much  as  he  could 
hold  in  his  clenched  hand,  while  another  would  have  a 
very  small  length  of  the  inward  parts.  Feeding  hounds 
is  the  only  resembl9,nce  to  the  scene  that  I  can  think  of. 
Generally  speaking,  however,  the  combatants  were  very 
good-natured,  and  nothing  untoward  occurred  with  the 
exception  that  one  man  got  rather  badly  cut. 

Pleasant  thoughts  occupied  my  mind  as  I  walked  back  to 
camp  with  this  meat-laden  party.  "  A  lucky  morning  this 
has  been,"  I  said  to  myself,  "  for  I  shall  work  wonders  with 
this  meat." 

I  had  sent  off  boys  with  special  dispatch  to  fetch  over 
the  caravan.  I  hoped  that  John  would  come  at  once, 
as  I  had  sent  strict  injunctions  that  he  should  not 
delay  for  a  moment,  remembering  the  old  adage — par- 
ticularly applicable  to  dealings  with  these  people — "  strike 
the  iron  while  it  is  hot."  I  know  this,  from  experience, 
to  be  a  very  sensible  bit  of  advice,  both  literally  and 
metaphorically. 

It  was  now  long  after  sunset,  but  neither  John  nor  the 
boys  I  had  sent  had  put  in  an  appearance. 

Eating  rice  and  some  venison  stew  which  Karemba  had 
occupied  an  afternoon  in  preparing,  I  wondered  much 
regarding  what  could  have  happened,  my  vague  surmises 
including  all  sorts  of  impending  trouble. 

Reflections  of  this  nature,  however,  were  soon  disturbed 
by  the  increasing  mutterings  of  voices  coming  nearer  and 
nearer  out  of  the  darkness,  until  at  length  numerous  black 
forms  appeared,  stark  and  distinct  under  the  ruddy  light  of 


"JOHN  AND   SAO W AM   DEAD  J"  173 

the   evening   lire.      When  I  observed  their  looks,  dismal 
thoughts  and  forebodings  arose. 

Standing  before  me,  were  the  same  boys  whom  the  chief 
had  sent  out !  They  were  without  loads,  and  no  John 
could  be  seen.  "Who  should  appear,  however,  but  Umfana, 
the  Matabeli  boy,  and  his  looks  had  sufficient  scare  to 
alarm  even  men  who  might  be  more  than  mortal.  But 
besides  facial  dismay,  his  faltering  voice  was  charged  with 
terror.  Describing  the  situation  on  the  Waynge  river, 
he  kept  continually  repeating  the  words,  "  Ya  hamba, 
Unyamwenda,  bulale  Ijan,  bulale  Sagomd !  " 

"  Ten  thousand  devils,"  1  muttered  ;  "  John  and  Sagwam 
dead,  and  the  Unyamwenda  oif  to  their  distant  rocky 
homes  !    What  fiends  !     It  never  can  be  true  !  " 

The  reader  may  imagine  my  feelings.  What  was  to 
be  done  ?  I  write  now  as  I  thought  then  of  my  first 
impression  respecting  the  rueful  news.  Soon,  by  dint  of 
constant  repetition,  and  through  Karemba,  who  could  now^ 
make  me  understand  his  words  well  enough,  I  was  enabled 
to  get  a  better  comprehension  of  the  fearful  outburst. 

It  appeared  that  the  Igova  boys  were  not  friendly  with 
the  Unyamwenda,  a  fact  which  accounted  for  their  per- 
sistent refusal  to  go  with  me  towards  the  east,  and  that  the 
Unyamwenda  wanted  to  kill  John  and  Sagwam,  and  seize 
the  calico  and  beads,  in  order  to  take  them  back  to  their 
own  country. 

I  would  have  started  upon  the  instant  to  the  scene  of  the 
disturbance.  But  to  have  attempted  such  a  mission  would 
have  been  to  court  failure,  if  not  disaster.  Not  one  of  the 
boys  would  have  gone.  And  how  could  I  rely  upon  these 
Igova  men  ?  They  would  go  home  in  the  meantime,  and 
probably  I  would  not  have  the  chance  of  again  getting  them 
to  go  on. 


174  THE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

One  thing,  however,  was  clear.  I  must  go  to  John  with- 
out any  delay.  How,  in  the  name  of  wonder,  was  I  to  get 
these  men  ? 

As  a  preliminary  to  inducement,  I  gave  each  of  them  a 
small  piece  of  meat — just  enough  to  whet  their  appetites — 
telling  them  at  the  same  time  that  if  they  would  proceed 
with  me  in  the  morning  I  would  give  them  white  calico 
and  plenty  of  meat  on  the  return  of  the  party  to  the  Buia 
river.  Their  reply  to  the  proposal  was  shrewd  enough. 
They  said  that  the  Unyamwenda  people  would  not  give  up 
the  things.  Evidently  the  people  did  not  understand  me, 
for  they  repeated  over  and  over  again  that  they  would  not 
go  without  the  white  man.  Finally,  I  knocked  the  facts 
into  their  heads  that,  whether  they  went  or  not,  before  day- 
break I  would  be  on  the  Waynge  river,  and  tliat  if  they 
chose  to  follow  early  in  the  morning  I  would  be  sure  to 
fulfil  my  promises. 

They  then  disappeared  in  the  surrounding  darkness,  but 
Karemba  told  me  that  they  would  be  sure  to  go. 

That  night,  as  anyone  can  understand,  was  an  uneasy  night 
for  me.  I  kept  turning  over  in  my  mind  what  might  be  the 
upshot  if  these  rebellious  Unyamwenda  positively  refused  to 
let  the  things  go  without  an  exorbitant  demand  upon  our 
resources,  that  is  to  say,  upon  the  store  of  goods.  Of  course 
a  discreet  policy  could  be  the  only  wise  course  to  adopt. 

With  a  few  men,  another  line  of  action  would  not  have 
cost  me  a  moment's  thought,  but  with  a  force  of  thirty,  a 
mistaken  act  of  intimidation  on  our  part  might  have  proved 
fatal. 

Come  what  would,  my  mind  was  made  up  to  be  on 
the  Waynge  river  before,  or  soon  after,  sunrise.  With  that 
resolution  firmly  fixed,  I  lay  down  to  seek  what  rest  might 
be  vouchsafed  to  me. 


A   BAD   NIQIIT  AND   MORNING.  175 


Very  small  ants  were  swarminj^  in  the  blankets.  These 
little  pests  could  even  be  found  in  the  sugar ;  in  fact, 
everything  savoured  of  ant. 

The  spot  we  had  chosen  for  the  camp  was  damj)  and 
cold,  for  we  were  close  to  the  river.  After  a  long  day's 
journey,  however,  it  is  better  not  to  camp  far  from  water,  as 
distance  entails  a  great  amount  of  labour  in  carrying  the 
indispensable  support  of  life. 

Little  sleep  came  to  refresh  me  during  that  brief  night's 
recumbence,  for  my  mind  was  in  a  quandary  of  doubts  and 
surmises.  A  cold,  wetting  mist  hugged  the  land  wlicn  I 
got  up.  It  seemed  as  though  it  could  penetrate  even 
through  the  skin.  My  garb,  too,  was  so  light  that  in  less 
severe  circumstances  I  always  went  through  a  shivering  fit 
in  the  morning.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  was  that  same 
feeling  which  usually  awoke  me.  I  seemed  to  become  a 
second-grade  Mashona,  as  it  were,  for  I  could  get  up  early 
and  kindle  flames  from  the  smouldering  fire,  to  crouch  over 
them,  suffering  their  pungent  smoke  to  blind  and  choke  me. 

Before  the  sun  lit  up  Waynge  camp  a  stiff  fourteen  miles 
had  to  be  covered.  I  wished  to  appear  as  an  apparition,  a 
thorough  stage  ghost,  stalking  grim  and  gaunt  out  of  a 
hidden  door  in  the  dark  and  massive  rocks.  This  I  knew 
would  astonish  the  intractable  Unyamwenda  not  a  little. 

Long  before  the  proper  time  to  start  I  sat  up,  meditating 
beside  the  blinding  and  choking  fire.  In  this  position  I 
felt  solitary,  for  looking  at  the  slumbering  boys  as  they  lay 
together,  huddled  close  for  the  sake  of  warmth,  and  snoriug 
in  blissful  unconsciousness,  I  was  loth  to  disturb  them, 
genuinely  unwilling,  in  fact,  to  awake  their  minds,  just  then 
so  free  from  care,  to  the  stern  realities  of  the  day's  work. 

But  circumstances  permitted  little  delay.  A  veil  of 
darkness  was  still  athwart  the  sky  when  I  gently  shook 


176  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 


Amenanza.  He  awoke  without  disturbing  the  others.  He 
was  the  only  man  I  intended  to  take  with  me.  I  heated 
some  tea,  and  tried  to  make  him  take  some,  but  he  did  not 
seem  to  care  much  about  it. 

Shouldering  the  small  rifle  (C.  L.  K.),  and  giving  a  few 
words  of  instruction  to  Karemba,  telling  him  to  hurry  on 
the  Igova  men  as  soon  as  possible,  I  soon  struck  out  towards 
the  west,  with  Amenanza  walking  before  me. 

The  air  was  now  damp  and  cold,  and  the  grass  heavy 
with  dew.  After  the  first  few  steps  I  was  soaked  as  much 
as  if  I  had  been  wading  through  a  lake  or  river.  Blistered 
feet  troubled  me,  too,  until  I  was  warmed  by  hard  walking 
and  forgot  these  grievous  discomforts. 

We  went  on  at  a  good,  rapid  rate,  Amenanza  leading  the 
way,  his  lithe  and  manly  figure,  seemingly  polished  by  the 
dew,  gracefully  sweeping  through  the  wet  and  heavy  grass. 

Now  and  then  a  small  antelope  or  a  wild  hog  would  start 
up,  and  speedily  move  away  like  "  will-o-the-wisp."  Soon 
the  stars  began  to  fade,  under  the  influence  of  the  soft 
white  light  of  dawn,  showing,  towards  the  orient,  grey 
streaks  of  rain-charged  clouds. 

On  we  sped,  sometimes  passing  through  grass  rising  six 
feet  above  our  heads,  although  the  usual  height  of  the 
grass,  where  it  had  not  been  burnt,  was  only  about  six  feet. 
At  length  the  monumental  looking  masses  of  rock  stood 
before  us,  and  just  as  the  living  light  of  day  began  to 
illumine  their  jagged  summits,  Amenanza  and  myself  stood 
by  the  banks  of  the  Waynge  river.  My  mind  was  filled  with 
anxious  thoughts  regarding  the  difficult  question  how  I 
should  manage  to  make  a  settlement  with  the  stubborn  and 
truculent  rebels. 

In  a  few  moments  I  stood  in  the  camp  beside  John, 
whose  appearance  was  a  powerful  picture  of  abject  despair. 


SUEPBISINa    THE  REBELS.  Ill 

He  was  evidently  much  relieved  at  seeing  me  again,  and 
soon  told  the  long  and  eventful  story  of  the  occurrences 
since  I  had  left  him,  dwelling  especially  upon  the  threat  of 
the  people  to  kill  both  him  and  Sagwam  because  they 
refused  to  surrender  the  cloth,  which  I  saw  was  stacked  up 
behind  him. 

Somewhat  relieved  about  this  matter,  my  next  thoughts 
were  of  the  chronometer.  Had  it  run  down  ?  No  ;  to  my 
delight  I  found  it  was  still  going,  and  had  still  some  hours 
to  spare. 

I  scanned  the  camp.  Satisfaction  ?  Satisfaction  indeed ! 
Old  Mchesa,  along  with  his  men,  had  left.  Only  a  few 
stragglers  remained.  The  Unyamwenda  were  huddled 
together  on  the  side  of  the  skerm  (pronounced  scarem) 
opposite  to  John  and  Sagwam,  and  their  assegais  were 
stacked  behind  them. 

I  kept  up  an  air  of  absolute  indifference,  taking  not  the 
slightest  notice  of  the  crowd  of  blacks,  who,  by  the  way, 
looked  rather  dismayed  at  my  arrival :  perhaps  from  the 
suddenness  of  my  appearance,  but  partly,  I  think,  because  I 
took  things  so  easily. 

Consulting  with  John,  he  said  he  was  sure  they  would 
ask  too  much  cloth  before  they  would  permit  us  to  take  the 
things  away. 

After  a  very  short  time  had  elapsed,  I  saw  that  the  Igova 
men  had  arrived.  Soon  they  were  all  seated  on  the  opposite 
bank  of  the  river.  I  did  not  count  their  numbers,  but  my 
mind  was  filled  with  ingenious  schemes  for  getting  out  of 
the  troublesome  predicament,  and  I  relied  a  little  upon  their 
unfriendliness  to  the  Unyamwenda. 

My  mind  was  soon  made  up  as  to  what  should  be  done. 

First  of  all  the  guns  were  examined  and  placed  in  a  con- 
venient place  behind.     This  precaution  seemed  necessary, 

VOL.  I.  N 


178  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

because  it  was  impossible  to  conjecture  what  might  be  the 
end  of  the  trouble. 

I  then  called  up  the  head-centres  of  nuisance,  namely, 
the  chatterboxes,  Shedabarume  and  Saiika ;  also  Villum 
(Chirimutu),  the  leaders  of  the  six  Chibero  men,  who  also 
of  late  had  been  making  themselves  as  unbearable  as  they 
possibly  could. 

I  put  the  following  questions  to  them. 

"  Have  I  not  been  good  to  you  ?  " 

"  Have  I  not  fed  you  with  meat  and  meal  ?  " 

"Have  I  not  given  you  limbo  and  beads,  whenever  you 
have  asked  ?  " 

A  murmuring  sound  was  all  the  reply  which  was  vouch- 
safed to  these  inquiries. 

"Then,"  I  continued,  drawing  myself  up  and  trying  to 
look  as  imposing  as  possible,  "  what  have  you  done  ?  You 
have  tried  to  take  me  the  wrong  road.  You  refuse  to 
go  farther  with  me,  although  you  promised  you  would  go 
with  me  to  the  big  river.  When  I  sent  boys  yesterday  to 
fetch  my  goods,  you  stopped  them.  You  threatened  to  kill 
my  boys.     Why  did  you  do  all  this  ?  " 

A  number  of  lies  were  the  answers  to  these  questions. 
They  contradicted  their  own  remarks  in  every  way ;  so  I 
finished  by  saying,  "  Do  you  think  that  the  white  man  is 
afraid  of  you  ?  " 

The  only  effect  of  this  conversation  was  the  coming  for- 
ward of  two  Chibero  men,  who  said  they  would  go  with  me. 
But  I  told  them  I  would  not  have  them  with  me  on  any 
account. 

I  then  informed  the  crowd  that  I  would  give  them  some 
limbo  and  beads  to  buy  food  on  their  way  home.  This,  I 
know,  was  an  injudicious  offer,  because  the  watchful  Kaffir, 
might  look  upon  it  as  an  outcome  of  fear.     However  I  was 


HOB  SON'S   CHOICE.  179 


more  than  anxious  to  get  matters  amicably  arraii<>ed  as  iny 
supporters  were  in  a  lamentable  minority. 

Taking  a  quick  look  towards  the  Igova  men,  I  saw  in  a 
moment  that  they  were  a  man  or  two  short  of  a  carrviiig 
number.  We  were  just  upon  the  eve  of  success  or  failure. 
Hesitation  could  not  wisely  be  kept  up. 

I  therefore  called  to  Shedabarume  and  Saiika,  whose  con- 
trol of  the  Unyamwenda  was  complete,  and  who  had  also 
incited  the  Chibero  men  to  mutiny,  offering  each  man  a 
yard  and  a  half  of  white  limbo  and  a  handful  of  beads,  and 
saying  with  a  Hobson's  choice  determination,  '•  Take  this, 
for  I  am  going  to  move  the  things  now."  The  pair  turned 
off  scoffing,  as  they  shouted  to  the  others  : 

"The  cloth  is  too  little,  we  will  not  take  it  !  "  At  th(; 
same  time  they  signed  with  their  arms  that  they  must  have 
a  fathom.     Not  one  of  the  others  moved  an  inch. 

There  appeared  to  be  no  course  now  open  but  to  show 
these  fellows  that  there  was  a  limit  to  the  white  man's 
patience  and  forbearance.  It  was  necessary  that  he  should 
show  the  troublesome  crowd  that  he  was  not  afraid. 

I  pretended  to  be  in  a  dreadful  passion.  Like  an  ancient 
Roman  wrestler  leaping  into  the  arena  of  combat,  I  sprang 
forward,  and  suddenly  seizing  Shedabarume  by  the  neck 
was  lucky  enough  to  dash  him  to  the  ground  at  one  fell 
sweep,  at  the  same  time  tearing  off  his  necklaces  of  charms, 
and  literally  ripping  the  waistcloth  from  his  loins. 

These  I  threw  into  the  fire,  and  stamped  upon  as  they  lay 
in  the  red,  smouldering  embers  ;  Shedabarume  by  this  time 
standing  absolutely  naked  before  his  brethren. 

With  another  bound  I  was  upon  the  amazed  Saiika,  and 
was  equally  successful  in  levelling  him,  depriving  him 
of  his  slender  clothes,  which  I  likewise  consigned  to  the 
devouring  flames. 

N  2 


180  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

Then  I  stood  up  with  an  air  as  defiant  as  I  could  possibly 
assume,  shouting  aloud  to  the  waiting  Igova  boys  and  telling 
them  to  lift  the  things  and  let  us  clear  out. 

Here  once  again  fate  was  auspicious.  Strange  to  say  the 
Chibero  men,  headed  by  Villum,  who  had  mutinied  with 
the  Unyamwenda,  came  forward  saying  that  they  would 
continue  to  follow  the  white  man.  In  a  commanding  tone 
I  ordered  them  to  proceed,  pointing  out  the  bundles  they 
should  take.  They  were  started  off  at  once,  doubtless 
labouring  under  the  happy  delusion  that  I  was  conferring  a 
gracious  favour  upon  them,  whereas  they  were  positively 
essential  to  me ;  although  fortunately  they  did  not  know 
this. 

When  everyone  had  started  I  took  a  searching  look 
around  the  camp,  to  see  that  nothing  had  been  forgotten, 
and  then  I  left,  the  Unyamwenda  meantime  standing  in  a 
motionless  crowd  outside  of  the  skerm,  astounded  at  the 
suddenness  of  our  quick  despatch. 

Not  long  afterwards  John  asked  me  how  it  was  that  I 
had  not  brought  enough  men,  saying  that  had  it  not  been 
for  the  Chibero  men  we  should  not  have  got  off.  With 
a  wink  of  satisfaction  I  replied  that  I  had  managed  to 
get  the  Chibero  off  before  they  had  time  or  were  smart 
enough  to  see  that  we  were  once  more  fairly  in  their 
clutches. 

Luck  like  this  has  helped  many  a  man,  and  as  we  marched 
along  I  felt  buoyant  through  a  sense  of  even  slightly 
brightening  prospects.  We  crossed  the  north-eastern  slopes 
of  the  divide,  passing  by  rivers  whose  waters  finally  mingle 
with  those  of  the  great  Zambesi,  near  to  Tette. 

It  was  almost  sun-down  when  we  arrived  at  the  Kuia 
river.  The  camp  was  soon  enlarged.  The  Igova  men 
received  their  meat  and  cloth.     John  said  that  the  sable 


A   HAPPY  NIGHT.  181 


antelope  head  shot  on  the  previous  evening,  was  one  of  the 
finest  he  had  ever  seen. 

A  happy  night  was  spent.  Songs  were  sung  continuously, 
the  shrill  voices  of  the  boys  ringing  out  right  merrily  in 
the  still  air  of  the  night. 

Amidst  the  festivities  I  was  made  a  sort  of  small  kin<r. 
As  I  lay  upon  a  pile  of  long  grass,  which,  when  at  hand,  I 
would  sometimes  use  as  a  mattress,  the  jubilant  revellers 
would  come  and  dance  before  me  one  by  one,  wliile  Ivareniba 
and  a  brother  performer  would  tune  up  their  musical  instru- 
ments. When  I  saw  the  cheerfulness  of  the  people  I  felt 
that  my  efforts  had  been  well  rewarded. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  I  had  got  out  of  a  difficulty 
which  had  threatened  to  become  very  serious.  No  sooner 
had  this  been  effected  than  thoughts  arose  about  the  suc- 
ceeding day,  when  I  would  again  require  boys  to  con- 
tinue the  journey. 

Oh,  what  a  time  it  would  take  to  reach  the  river  at  the 
rate  we  were  going  !  Sometimes  my  thoughts  would 
ponder  sadly  in  this  way ;  but  then  I  would  reproach  my- 
self, remembering  that  I  was  at  all  times  in  an  extra- 
ordinary hurry,  among  people  who  did  not  care  a  jot 
whether  I  went  on  or  not.  Nevertheless  unless  I  strained 
every  nerve  to  push  onwards  the  disordered  caravan  would 
inevitably  become  a  total  wreck  ;  for  if  the  articles  of  barter 
which  kept  us  floating  disappeared,  we  should  at  once  be 
hard  fixed  in  the  stern  straits  of  privation,  which  of  course 
meant  utter  dissolution. 

For  the  future  I  resolved  that  meal  would  not  be  regularly 
carried.  We  would  try  to  get  on  with  the  meat  which  was 
shot.  Meal  was  heavy  to  carry,  and  I  thought  it  better  to 
tell  the  boys  that  it  would  be  bought  at  each  town  we  came 
to.     This  would  perhaps  bo  an  incentive  towards  a  fa.ster 


182  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

advance  when  they  became  satiated  by  an  excess  of  venison. 
At  the  same  time  it  reduced  the  number  of  carriers  that 
were  required. 

The  incessant  payment  in  advance  was  a  very  bad  plan, 
but  without  it  no  one  would  move.  More  than  once  I  have 
thought  that  if  the  system  was  generally  adopted  in  manu- 
facturing Britain  there  would  doubtless  be  a  greater  depres- 
sion in  trade  than  there  has  been  even  in  these  "  free  and 
independent "  days. 

Muliliti,  the  chief  of  this  district,  had  now  to  be  visited. 
It  was  advisable  that  we  should  endeavour  to  get  a  few  boys 
from  him. 

Not  long  after  Sebaii  had  crowed  his  usual  salute  to  the 
peep  of  day,  I  bestirred  myself  to  make  ready  for  the  route, 
but  found  John  in  one  of  his  immovable  humours,  swearing 
that  the  damp  and  the  cold  had  stricken  him  badly.  This 
could  hardly  be  wondered  at,  for  the  place  that  had  been 
chosen  for  a  camp  could  not  have  been  more  unhealthy,  the 
fog  lying  low  and  heavy  around  us  from  a  little  before  sun- 
set until  long  after  the  great  orb  had  risen  again  to  follow 
its  daily  course. 

Ultimately,  however,  John  was  induced  to  proceed,  and 
taking  Sagwam  also,  we  crossed  the  Ruia  river,  and  in  a 
little  time  found  ourselves  at  the  gates  of  the  town  of 
Igova.  There  we  waited  until  the  powerful  barriers  were 
pulled  down  to  enable  us  to  enter.  When  we  passed  through 
the  gates  we  were  without  delay  ushered  into  the  hut  of 
Muliliti,  the  chief. 

At  a  glance  I  could  observe  a  great  difference  in  the  design 
and  construction  of  the  hut,  compared  with  those  which  we 
had  seen  farther  south.  It  seemed  very  comfortable,  and 
had  a  fire  in  the  centre,  an  abundant  supply  of  mats  made 
from  the  bark  of  the  Machabele-tree  lay  around,  and  inter- 


MULILITFS  FAMILY   CIBCLE.  183 


woven  branches  fenced  off  one  side,  where  stood  two  very- 
nice  looking  Mashona  cows.  A  calf  seemed  to  have  the 
free  run  of  the  establishment,  and  in  a  ludicrously  human- 
like manner  huddled  close  up  to  the  fire  beside  one  of  the 
tiny  children,  for  it  was  evidently  a  veritable  thoroughbred 
Mashona.  The  little  child  hugged  the  animal  aft'cctionately, 
and  eyed  me  all  the  time,  no  doubt,  judging  by  the 
expression  of  the  face,  thinking  that  the  horrible  white 
monster  had  come  to  buy  his  playmate. 

Two  of  the  chiefs  wives  occupied  dark  recesses  in  the 
background.  My  impression  was  that  the  household  seemed 
to  form  a  very  comfortable  family  circle,  in  which  I  was 
glad  to  find  myself,  as  it  was  wretchedly  cold  and  wet  out- 
side under  the  searching  mist. 

Allowing  for  a  seat  in  the  usual  state  of  silence  for  a 
considerable  time,  I  then  made  a  start  in  negotiation,  saying 
that  I  wished  to  pursue  my  journey  north-east,  and  inquiring 
what  boys  he  could  give  me. 

Muliliti  pointed  towards  the  east,  and  said  that  his  people 
would  not  go  in  that  direction. 

Well,  thought  I,  it  is  useless  my  saying  anything  when 
there  is  no  choice ;  and,  following  this  reflection,  I  said 
aloud,  '*  Give  me  boys  to  take  me  to  the  next  town,"  point- 
ing at  the  same  time  towards  the  north. 

He  said  that  the  tribe  to  the  north  were  not  Mashona, 
but  Makorikori,  and  they  were  friends  of  his.  He  also 
remarked  that  he  had  plenty  of  boys. 

Informing  him  that  if  he  would  bring  the  men  over  I 
would  give  him  a  present  of  cloth,  he  said  he  would  go  at 
once  and  fetch  them,  so  in  the  meantime  I  gave  him  a 
donation  in  beads  as  a  s6rt  of  retaining  fee. 

We  then  retired  to  the  camp.  On  our  way  a  number  of 
men  asked  for  "  mataka,"  which,  as  I  have  stated,  is  the 


184  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

word  for  present  in  the  Mashona  tongue.  I  engaged  as 
many  as  I  could  get  to  promise  to  go  with  me,  for  from  sad 
experience  I  found  that  the  word  of  a  petty  chief  was  not 
of  much  account. 

Literally  the  chiefs  have  very  slight  power  over  the  people, 
their  authority  being  only  exerted  over  those  who  are 
actually  their  personal  property,  that  is  to  say  slaves. 
From  what  T  saw  of  Muliliti,  I  judged  that  he  was  a  very 
easy  master. 

In  the  meadows  below  the  town  I  saw  a  small  herd  of 
cattle  grazing ;  a  sure  sign  that  there  was  still  some 
distance  before  us  ere  we  reached  the  tsetse-fly  country. 

Everything  was  again  ready  for  a  start.  Of  the  loads 
we  kept  open  only  one  bundle  of  beads  and  one  roll  of 
calico,  to  be  used  in  emergencies,  and  also  to  buy  a  little 
gold  which  was  offered  by  some  of  the  village  people, 
women  and  old  men  principally,  who  all  made  signs  that 
they  had  worked  very  hard  in  the  river  to  get  even  the  small 
quantity  they  possessed. 

One  elderly  fellow,  with  a  particularly  bad  squint,  showed 
himself  a  remarkably  smart  and  cute  old  dodger,  as  he  tried 
all  sorts  of  underhand  tricks  to  get  extra  pieces  of  calico. 
No  sooner  did  I  buy  one  quill  of  gold  from  him  than  he 
would  hand  out  another,  but  all  of  them  had  very  little  of 
the  precious  metal.  He  also  tried  to  palm  off  a  quill  of 
mica,  which  resembles  gold,  and  in  California  is  called 
"  greenhorn  "  gold.  I  set  him  down  as  one  of  the  veritable 
Hebrew  children,  not  in  blood  certainly,  but  in  spirit  a 
very  Moses  of  the  Moseses.  I  handed  the  old  rascal  back 
his  base  metal,  along  with  a  handful  of  dust,  a  proceeding 
which  seemed  to  amuse  the  bystanders  mightily. 

The  wily  fellow  was  far  too  shrewd  a  trader  to  seem  to 
be  taken  aback,  and  he  simply  produced  some  of  the  real 


SANDANI.  185 


article  again,  so  that  we  continued  to  bargain.  Afterwards 
he  ran  out  into  the  grass,  where  he  leaped  in  the  air  to 
show  what  a  wonderful  man  he  was ;  how  warlike  and  how 
dangerous.  The  retreat  was  acted  in  a  most  natural  manner, 
the  performer  immediately  returning  to  me  witli  tlio  palms 
of  both  hands  extended,  but  held  together  ready  to  receive 
a  present  in  return  for  his  exertions. 

This  old  man,  whose  name  proved  to  be  Sandani,  was 
destined  to  become  an  important  agent  in  the  expedition. 

By  long  odds  he  was  the  greediest  beggar  breathing ; 
an  inveterate  accumulator  of  gratuitous  spoil.  Withal,  ho 
had  some  good  points. 

One  of  his  movable  properties  was  a  young  man — his  son, 
he  said — whom  he  offered  me  at  a  bargain,  but  I  declined 
to  trade. 

Sandani,  however,  I  tried  to  engage,  as  it  seemed  clear 
that  we  would  be  short  of  carriers.  The  chief  had  not  yet 
arrived,  and  I  was  beginning  to  conjure  up  grave  doubts  as 
to  whether  he  would  put  in  an  appearance.  After  a  great 
deal  of  preliminary  wrangling,  he  said  that  he  had  concluded 
to  go. 

Immediately  afterwards  Muliliti  appeared,  and  with  him 
a  number  of  men.  "These,  of  course,  are  for  me,"  I 
muttered ;  but  on  inquiry  I  found  that  the  chief  had  but 
two  men  whom  he  could  command  to  go,  and  very  sub- 
dued-looking individuals  they  were.  Their  names  were 
Chikobore  and  Eingatara.  Neither  of  them  were  of  the 
Mashona  tribe,  but  I  could  not  find  out  to  what  country 
they  belonged.  Chikobore  was  in  future  to  act  as  guide, 
both  being  enlisted  in  the  oddly-mixed  throng  which  now 
made  up  the  party. 

To  Muliliti  I  gave  a  few  yards  of  white  limbo,  and  left 
under  his  care  the  fine  sable  antelope  head  with  the  hide, 


186  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

which  I  had  carefully  prepared,  telling  him  that  it  should 
be  handed  over  to  John  whenever  he  passed  on  his  home- 
ward journey. 

.  On  advancing,  we  had  again  to  pass  the  little  town  of 
Igova,  which  lay  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  The 
spot  proved  too  attractive  for  our  new  associates.  They 
could  not  pass  without  going  in  to  see  their  friends  for  a 
last  and  fond  farewell.  As  a  matter  of  course,  two  were 
missing  when  the  assembly  was  sounded.  Karemba  suc- 
ceeded in  unearthing,  in  place  of  the  deserters,  two  very 
wild-looking  creatures  who  were  sadly  in  need  of  some 
cloth.  These  were  immediately  enlisted,  and  once  again 
we  were  off,  striking  away  towards  the  north. 

To  the  left  of  the  line  of  march,  looking  up  the  winding 
course  of  the  Euia,  and  stretching  far  away  from  north  to 
south,  stood  the  bold  Umvukwes.  On  the  banks  of  the 
river  rose  those  singular,  isolated  peaks  which  have  been 
described,  while  interspersed  among  them  and  near  to  their 
sharp  and  broken  crags  were  spherical  mounds  of  granite 
seeming  to  swell  up  from  the  plain. 

In  the  direction  in  which  we  travelled,  and  sweeping 
round  upon  our  right,  lay  expanded  a  vast  natural  park, 
studded  with  clumps  of  woodland,  and  intersected  at  irre- 
gular intervals  by  rivers,  whose  forest-clad  banks,  luxuriantly 
green,  contrasted  gracefully  with  the  deadened  colours  of 
the  intervening  wastes  of  sun-scorched  grass. 

Small  herds  of  antelope  were  constantly  passing,  although 
game  did  not  seem  to  me  to  be  very  abundant.  Numbers 
of  little  bucks  were  seen  starting  up  and  rushing  off  at  a 
furious  pace  through  the  long  grass. 

Three  hours  of  pretty  hard  walking  through  black  marsh- 
land gave  a  finishing  touch  to  an  increasing  misery  from 
which  I  suffered.     A   description   can  only  give   a   faint 


THE   TORTURE   OF  THE   BOOT.  187 


idea  of  the  personal  conditions  under  whieli  travellino-  was 
effected.  My  feet  were  in  a  horrible  state,  as  may  be 
imagined  when  I  say  that  I  had  been  pressiui,^  and  pulling- 
them  in,  out,  and  through  the  marshy  land  until  my  old 
boots  were  filled  with  black  mud  and  dirty  water,  while 
cuts  an  inch  long  on  each  heel  made  their  existence  pain- 
fully evident  at  every  step.  All  the  time,  too,  my  body 
was  bathed  in  pouring  perspiration,  while  the  sun  cast 
down  merciless  rays  of  fiery  heat  upon  my  aching  head. 
The  boots  were  worst  of  all.  Oh,  thou  sham  bootmakers  of 
London  town  !  How  heartily  did  I  condemn  thee,  one  and 
all,  to  perpetual  torment,  which  could  not  be  more  bitter 
than  that  which  thou  mad'st  me  endure  ! 

Fording  the  Pembe  river,  we  continued  to  wade  througli 
morass  and  through  grass  saturated  with  water,  until  we 
gained  the  southern  bank  of  the  Kumabiri.  There  we 
selected  a  comfortable  and  well-sheltered  spot,  pitching  our 
camp  amid  the  rich  woodland  which  clothed  the  river  banks 
with  a  profusion  of  graceful  foliage. 

The  waters  of  both  these  rivers — the  Pembe  and  Rumabiri 
— flow  to  the  Amazoe. 

We  had  made  but  a  short  march,  but  it  was  better  to  do  so 
perhaps  for  the  first  day,  as  the  men  would  not  then  feel 
their  loads  so  cumbersome.     And  such  loads  they  were,  too  ! 

As  I  lay  down  with  a  thump  upon  my  blankets  I  said  to 
myself,  "Old  bones,  this  is  working  your  passage  with  a 
vengeance ! " 

I  scanned  the  map  here,  scaling  off  the  distances — not 
without  a  pang,  when  I  thought  of  that  new  experience 
of  bad  luck,  my  poor  feet — and  saw  how  many  weary  leagues 
had  to  be  travelled  before  we  would  stand  upon  the  banks  of 
the  Zambesi.  Actual  marching  is  nothing  when  everything 
goes  on  cheerily  ;  fatigue  never  touches  harshly ;  but  the  in- 


188  THE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

cessant  brawl  of  beggars,  groans  of  discontented  sick  niggers, 
and  the  quivering  flesh  of  sore  feet,  exasperated  me,  a 
feeling  which  became  more  poignant  when  I  found  at  night 
that  we  had  only  done  ten  or  fifteen  miles  during  the  whole 
day.  Towards  night,  under  such  provocation,  disgust  drove 
out  all  the  energy  of  my  system. 

Happily,  my  times  of  depression  were  short-lived.  A 
cup  of  tea  and  a  short  nap  were  comforts  sufficient  to 
make  disagreeables  be  forgotten,  and  in  the  present  instance 
I  cheered  my  spirits  by  reflecting  that  during  the  past  two 
days  I  had  done  two  good  strokes  of  work.  First  I  had 
managed  to  get  clear  of  the  Unyamwenda ;  and  second, 
I  had  succeeded  in  making  a  fresh  start  with  a  full  com- 
plement of  new  carriers  and  a  new  guide. 

While  I  was  congratulating  myself  upon  these  matters 
three  men  came  into  camp  from  some  unknown  direction. 
They  said  they  would  carry  loads  for  a  present.  It  seems 
always  so  in  Africa,  where  one  either  finds  a  feast  or  a 
famine.  Here  was  luck,  however,  and  I  augured  that  all 
would  go  well  for  a  while. 

Old  Sebaii  as  a  rule  appeared  in  camp  hours  after  the 
rest  of  the  company,  a  rather  funny  fact,  considering  that 
he  was  supposed  to  be  one  of  the  "  guides."  But  all  Sebaii's 
ways  were  amusing.  With  an  inimitably  sedate  bearing 
he  would  seat  himself  upon  the  ground,  and  then  pass  round 
the  snufi",  at  the  same  time  coughing  and  sneezing  violently. 
No  sooner  were  the  spasms  over  than  he  would  begin  one  of 
his  interminable  orations,  for  he  was  one  of  those  natural 
windbags  who  make  progress  with  words  but  not  with  sense. 

A  marrow-bone  feast  was  held  that  night.  Those  who 
took  part  in  it  first  equipped  themselves  with  two  pieces 
of  rock;  then  when  the  great  leg-bones  of  antelope  had 
been  broiled  on  the  blazing  fire  they  cracked  them  with  the 


GBOSS  FEEDERS.  189 


lumps  of  rock,  and  sucked  out  the  marrow.  The  bits  or  drops 
which  fell  upon  their  bodies  were  rubbed  thorousrhly  into 
the  skin,  which  they  are  delighted  to  have  soft  and  glossy. 

Now  and  again,  sharp  above  the  din  of  many  strident 
voices,  might  be  heard  what  one  might  call  a  half-subdued 
shriek.  It  was  John  trumpeting  shrill  and  sharp  for 
Windvogel  to  get  a  light  for  his  pipe,  his  tones  being 
of  the  same  nature  as  those  which  oft  in  the  still v  nitrht 
infuriated  man  employs  to  disperse  the  serenading  cats 
on  a  London  roof.  John's  shouts  were  marvellously  suc- 
cessful in  getting  a  response  instanter.  They  seemed  to 
awaken  acute  and  suggestive  memories  of  numerous  bitter 
chastisements ;  for  John  never  forgot  that  the  poor  bushman 
was  his  absolute  property. 

Our  natives  were  by  far  the  grossest  feeders  that  I  had 
encountered  in  my  travels.  Their  staying  powers  are  not 
very  great  when  they  are  gorged.  As  an  instance  of  an 
opposite  nature,  John,  who  had  lived  all  his  life  among  the 
Matabeli  people,  informed  me  that  the  endurance  of  the 
latter  is  very  remarkable.  On  the  war-trail  they  will  stand 
ten  days  without  any  food,  all  the  while  travelling  immense 
distances. 

At  that  time  my  diet  consisted  entirely  of  boiled  rice, 
meat,  and  tea.  Some  hard  crackers,  or  rusks,  which  had  been 
brought  on  were  almost  finished,  there  being  only  about 
three  pounds  of  crumbs,  as  black  as  gunpowder,  which  I  was 
reserving  for  use  in  the  event  of  sickness. 

Lions  were  here ;  but  it  was  impossible  to  got  a  shot  on 
account  of  the  high  grass,  great  portions  of  which  stood  up 
unburnt  and  in  its  natural  vigour.  I  suppose  it  never  will 
be  burnt,  as  that  part  of  the  country  seemed  to  be  very 
sparsely  inhabited,  and  the  long  belt  of  marsh  which  ran 
through  the  land  would  soon  kill  the  fires. 


190  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

Soon  after  leaving  the  Kumabiri  river  I  was  astonished 
to  find  that  our  course  was  not  changed,  and  that  we  were 
ascending  the  eastern  slopes  of  the  Umvukwe  range  of 
mountains.  I  should  have  to  await  results.  We  were 
moving  northwards,  and  I  could  only  hope  that  circum- 
stances would  be  favourably  changed,  so  that  I  should  be 
able  to  see  the  way  more  clearly,  in  order  to  choose  and  shape 
my  course  whither  observation  directed.  Protestations  at 
that  time  would  have  been  foolish,  nay,  perhaps  disastrous 
to  the  whole  scheme. 

The  head  waters  of  the  Umzengezi  river  were  shortly 
reached.  This  stream  forms  one  of  the  chief  tributaries  of 
the  Zambesi.  Springing  from  the  very  heart  of  the  rugged 
Umvukwe  mountains,  it  runs  in  a  northerly  direction,  and, 
increased  by  numerous  and  not  inconsiderable  affluents, 
grows  steadily  larger,  until  from  a  small  burn  with  a  rocky 
bed — at  the  spot  where  we  stood — similar  to  those  which 
leap  and  play  down  the  sides  of  the  Scottish  hills,  it  swells 
to  the  proportions  of  a  large  river,  with  a  channel  some 
hundred  yards  in  width  at  its  confluence  with  the  Zambesi, 
near  which  the  bed  of  the  stream  is  composed  of  sand  and 
shingle.  The  Umzengezi  cannot  be  characterised  as  an 
immense  river:  it  is  broad,  but  not  deep,  and  becomes 
shallow  in  the  dry  season.  Its  volume  during  the  rainy 
season,  however,  must  have  an  enormous  force,  when  the 
water  rises  to  an  extraordinary  height,  as  could  be  seen  in 
the  torn  and  rugged  banks. 

Continuing  to  pursue  the  same  course,  our  ascent  of  the 
heights  was  so  gradual  that  we  could  not  realise  the  fact 
that  the  summit  of  the  range  was  near  at  hand. 

We  made  our  mid-day  halt  upon  the  borders  of  Mashona- 
land  and  the  country  of  the  Makorikori  tribe. 

While  we  rested  under  the  shade  of  the  scrub  forest  three 


FIRST  NEWS   OF   CIIUZU.  191 

strange  men  came  into  the  camp,  and,  much  to  my  disgust, 
evidently  frightened  the  Mashona  by  the  news  which  they 
brought,  to  the  effect  that  the  Makorikori  people  woukl  not 
let  the  white  man  pass  through  their  country,  as  they  were 
fighting  with  the  Portuguese  of  the  Zambesi  valley. 

The  chief,  whose  name  was  Chuzu,  they  said  was  a  very 
bad  man,  and  would  be  sure  to  kill  the  white  man.  The 
long  and  the  short  of  their  story  was  that  it  would  not  be 
safe  to  go  on  there. 

I  bought  some  assegais  from  them ;  not  that  I  wished  to 
be  encumbered  with  any  more  than  I  had,  but  with  the 
hope  that  when  they  had  a  piece  of  cloth  they  would  leave. 
Not  they.  They  remained,  snuffing,  smoking,  and  talking, 
what  I  then  innocently  considered  to  be  nonsense. 

With  these  timid  people  it  is  not  advisable  to  talk  about 
what  the  way  is  to  this  or  to  that  place.  John  whispered 
to  me  what  was  going  on.  The  three  unwelcome  visitors 
had  started  a  very  promising  scare.  All  through  the  ranks 
could  be  heard  the  muttered  sound  of  the  word  mataka 
(present)  ;  oh,  that  endless  refrain  ! 

Above  all  things  it  was  certain  that  I  should  have  to  give 
them  mataka  that  evening,  and  that  it  would  be  neces- 
sary to  go  through  the  usual  farce  of  telling  them  that 
under  my  wing  they  would  be  perfectly  safe. 

Fourteen  miles  formed  the  extent  of  our  march  for  that 
day,  and  we  halted  at  the  highest  point  that  we  would  cross 
on  the  range. 

On  stopping  for  the  night  the  iirst  thing  to  be  done  was  the 
construction  of  an  impenetrable  barrier,  in  a  circular  form, 
without  which  we  might  have  the  chance  of  losing  some  of 
our  delightful  company,  any  of  whom  might  become  the 
prey  of  the  voracious  carnivora  of  the  country. 

Roll-call  was  the  next  duty,  and  was  a  ceremony  that 


192  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

seemed  to  afford  infinite  fun  to  my  simple  followers. 
Seeing  and  hearing  me  read  their  names  out  of  a  book  gave 
immense  delight,  although  they  evidently  pitied  me,  and 
placed  me  in  the  category  of  the  very  much  demented. 
The  few  things  I  had  were  distributed  so  generally  that 
this  was  the  only  plan  of  finding  out  whether  all  were  in. 
Sebaii,  the  peace-maker  and  unfailing  guide  to  laziness,  was 
found  to  be  the  only  absentee,  such  was  his  aversion  to 
making  camp. 

My  feet  were  in  a  deplorably  painful  condition,  and 
bound  to  become  worse,  because  the  boots  were  getting 
more  tattered  and  torn  at  every  step  I  took.  Despite  this, 
however,  curiosity  prompted  me  to  wander  forth  to  see 
what  was  to  be  seen  from  the  summit  of  these  rarely-visited 
mountains,  upon  which  the  light  of  the  evening  sun  still 
shone  bright,  and  would  continue  to  gleam  for  another  hour 
and  a  half. 

Just  before  sundown  it  was  my  custom  to  make  up  the 
few  lines  in  my  journal,  which  was  kept  in  very  small  note- 
books, and  easily  recorded  with  an  indelible  pencil. 

Walking  quietly  through  the  low  forest  I  emerged 
upon  the  heights.  The  journey  filled  a  longer  time  than  I 
had  anticipated,  the  distance  being  deceptive  to  the  view. 
When  upon  the  spot,  however,  I  climbed  one  of  the  moss- 
clad  rocks,  and  turned  my  eyes  upon  the  surrounding 
country. 

A  study  of  nature  in  its  sublimest  forms  and  of  wonderful 
wildness  lay  outstretched  before  me.  I  stood  upon  the 
dividing-line  of  the  Umvukwe  range,  where  the  waters  of 
the  Zambesi  zone  parted  to  flow  east  and  west. 

Turning  towards  the  south-west  the  boldly  characteristic 
feature  of  the  mountains  is  the  peculiar  baldness  of  their 
crowns ;  they  resemble  a  succession  of  great  grass-covered 


A    WILD   PICTURE.  193 


cones — with  here  and  there  a  few  isolated  rocks  piercing  the 
air — extending  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach. 

Towards  the  north  can  be  distinguished  the  liorsc-shoe 
band,  running  to  the  right,  and  then  curving  to  tho  left. 
Almost  due  north  the  distant  mountain-tops  are  barely 
visible,  being  lost  in  the  gloom  of  departing  day.  Tho 
crescent  thus  formed  is  filled  with  luxuriant  forest. 

Between  my  standpoint  and  the  darkening  and  distant 
summits  rises  a  heavy  slate-coloured  mountain,  which  has 
the  appearance  of  a  dense  cloud  overhanging  the  dim 
waving  line  of  forest. 

Eastward  the  picture  becomes  wild  indeed.  Rocky  moun- 
tains can  be  seen  spurring  outwards,  and  breaking  into 
a  wild  and  indescribable  confusion  of  gigantic  blocks  and 
obelisks,  rent,  torn,  tilted  and  turned  in  every  direction,  or 
piled  one  above  the  other  in  a  chaotic  grandeur  of  fantastic 
and  grotesque  disorder.  One  fire-formed  tower*  especially 
exalts  itself  hundreds  of  feet  above  the  others,  like  a  giant 
amid  the  giant  sentinels  of  the  mountains,  a  crowning 
effort  in  Nature's  convulsion  when  she  made  valleys  sink 
and  mountains  rise  long  ages  ago  in  the  unrecorded  past. 

The  landscape  towards  the  south  descends  in  long, 
winding,  wave-like  lines  of  forest,  shaded  by  the  deepest 
green.  Through  the  woodland  belt  the  meanderings  of 
numerous  small  rivers  can  be  distinctly  traced. 

Late  though  it  is,  there  is  still  an  unspoken  charm 
to  rivet  my  gaze  upon  this  lovely  scene.  The  sun  is 
fast  sinking  on  its  way  to  light  other  regions  and  other 
worlds,  casting  the  while  its  farewell  rays  of  warm  red  light 
upon  the  veil  of  mist  that  soft  and  glowing  hangs  gently 
round  the  foot-hills,  and  clings  to  the  umbrageous  forest 
stretching  far  beneath.  The  molten  gold  of  the  sun  itself 
*  The  natives  call  this  singular  pinnacle  the  Ikrru, 

VOL.  I.  t) 


194  TEE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

seems  to  gild  with  glowing  beams  the  rugged  peaks  of  the 
higher  crags. 

What  an  indescribably  strange  sensation  it  is  to  find  that 
you  are  utterly  alone  in  a  savage  land,  and  that  do  what 
you  might  it  would  take  months  of  arduous  travel  to  enable 
you  to  exchange  a  word  freely  in  your  own  tongue !  As  I 
sit  watching  the  hushing  hand  of  Nature  gradually  calming 
the  world  to  rest,  the  solitude  and  silence  seem  to  release 
the  springs  of  thought  and  prompt  the  mind  to  ponder  on 
the  hidden  mysteries  of  creation  and  their  unfathomable 
problems. 

At  such  moments  how  grand  are  the  ideas  that  course 
through  the  mind — to  die  as  soon  as  they  are  born !  How 
could  any  one  help  being  struck  with  the  vain  nothingness 
of  his  personality,  as  a  veritable  dot  of  dust  sitting  remote 
and  alone  amidst  a  vastness  of  an  almost  audible  stillness  ? 

Outstretched  before  me  were  those  grand  natural  monu- 
ments of  granite,  on  whose  adamantine  sides  were  inscribed 
the  evidences  of  numberless  epochs  of  the  primeval  world. 
Comparison  is  one  of  the  privileges,  or  perhaps  weaknesses, 
of  man.  Let  us  compare  our  lives  to  these  rocks.  What 
can  be  said  of  the  short  span  of  human  existence  when 
considered  in  relation  to  the  age  of  those  hoary  heaps  of 
solid  stone  ?  Such  a  question  must  overwhelm  the  littleness 
of  the  greatest  mind. 

It  matters  not  how  high  may  be  the  pitch  of  culture  to 
which  the  intellect  may  have  been  elevated,  it  cannot 
approach  any  nearer  to  the  infinite  than  the  crudest  con- 
ception of  the  aboriginal  mind. 

And  what  is  the  endurance  of  these  mountains  in  their 
present  form  compared  with  the  physical  history  of  the 
Universe  ?  Not  more  than  a  flash  of  light  which  twinkles  for 
an  instant  upon  a  transient  wave.     Time  has  here  given  one 


A   BROKEN  REVERIE.  195 

of  its  most  unanswerable  challenges  to  man.  The  attempt 
at  definition  would  be  as  fruitless  as  the  ponderings  of 
a  mortal  mind  upon  the  boundless  infinity  of  space,  through 
which,  as  I  gaze,  the  sun  is  spreading  far-reaching  gleams 
of  its  dying  glories. 

I  watch  the  orb  of  day  as  it  sinks  slowly  to  rest  and 
leaves  the  blackness  of  night.  As  I  look  my  eyelids 
seem  to  stretch  wider  and  wider,  and  I  feel  as  if  I  could, 
without  a  sigh,  sink  to  rest  in  sympathy  with  silent  Nature. 
Suddenly,  with  the  gathering  gloom,  the  spell  is  broken. 
I  awake  from  this  trance-like  reverie.  Higher  thouglits 
vanish  like  the  fleeting  phantoms  of  a  dream.  I  find  myself 
once  again  an  atom  of  ordinary  mortality,  and  under  the 
faint  light  of  the  friendly  stars  sparkling  in  the  firmament, 
I  with  difficulty  wend  my  way  back  to  the  busy  camp. 


0  2 


196  THE  FAR  INTERIOR. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


CHUZUS. 


Soothing  of  the  followers — Names  of  trees — The  Karue  river — Warnings 
of  danger — Eocks  alive  with  people — The  Makorikori  people — Fear  to 
approach  the  white  man — Alarm  in  the  camp — "  Geeve  it  um,  master, 
geeve  it  um !" — Surrounded  by  armed  warriors — Forebodings  of  danger 
— Chuzu,  the  chief — An  imsatisfactory  interview — Demands  for  powder 
— "  Master,  master,  the  people  are  coming  to  kill  us ! " — The  bag  of 
sovereigns — Anxious  moments — "You  are  M'zungo" — Tricks  of  in- 
timidation— The  party  is  threatened  with  massacre — An  old  woman's 
friendly  warning — Ominous  signs — Our  midnight  retreat — An  awkward 
bridge — Out  of  the  difficulty — The  disappointing  check — "  Ho,  for 
northern  Matabeli-land  ! " — Shall  I  return  ? 

Although  he  knew  I  was  given  to  fits  of  wandering,  John 
had  been  speculating  about  what  had  become  of  me. 

After  a  frugal  supper  was  over  I  anticipated  the  demands 
of  the  men  tby  giving  them  each  a  present.  Then  in 
solemnly  weighty  tones  I  made  a  declaration  (which  had  to 
be  interpreted)  that  all  the  men  under  my  care  were  abso- 
lutely free  from  danger.  John's  opinion  was  that  if  we 
could  get  them  through  the  Makorikori  town  our  difficulties 
with  them  individually  would  cease.  The  chances  of  rebelKon 
would  then  be  held  in  check  by  dependence.  I  watched 
the  demeanour  of  the  higher  ape  with  some  amusement,  for 
he  was  perfectly  insensible  to  everything  except  head  orna- 
ments, and  now  appeared  in  a  complete  ostrich  feather  cap, 
which  made  him  tremendously  proud  of  himself.  I  had  a 
painful  consciousness  that  all  these  feather  purchases  were 
seriously  reducing  the  contents  of  the  sugar  bag. 


NAMES   OF  TREES.  197 


The  succeeding  morning  was  piercingly  cold,  and  all 
vegetation  was  bright  with  the  glistening  dew.  Very  little 
sleep  could  be  found,  as  it  was  impossible  to  keep  warm,  so 
that  we  were  glad  when  the  time  arrived  when  we  should 
quit  the  cheerless  spot. 

Those  who  wore  clothes — that  is  to  say  John  and  myself 
— were  soon  literally  saturated  as  we  tramped  over  the 
flooded  marsh  and  through  the  dwarfed  forest. 

Innumerable  small  streams  were  passed.  They  coursed 
through  the  soft  morass  and  evidently  were  fed  by  mountain 
springs.  Now  these  rivulets  all  flowed  swiftly  westward,  for 
we  had  crossed  the  backbone  of  this  country  and  were 
moving  over  the  western  slopes  of  the  great  divide. 

I  found  it  difficult  to  obtain  correct  native  names  for  the 
trees  in  the  forest.  Whenever  the  question  was  asked,  it 
was  productive  of  a  dispute  among  the  boys,  indicating  that 
there  was  a  grave  probability  that  they  might  be  wrong. 
The  larger  trees,  however,  were  similar  to  those  I  had  seen 
in  Matabeli-land  called  Gonte. 

Close  to  the  banks  of  the  Karue  river  we  halted.  An 
impenetrable  thicket  of  the  luxuriant  foliage  6f  wild  fruit- 
trees  sheltered  us.  Dotted  here  and  there  amid  the  en- 
tanglement of  rich  vegetation  was  a  species  of  date-palm, 
whose  long  leaves  of  the  most  delicate  green  drooped  grace- 
fully over  the  confused  undergrowth. 

Human  miseries,  however,  almost  on  every  hand  pre- 
vented me  from  making  as  many  practical  observations  of 
the  natural  features  of  the  country  as  I  should  have  liked  to 
have  done.  At  that  time,  for  example,  I  was  sadly  per- 
plexed by  an  evident  reluctance  on  the  part  of  my  men  to 
advance.  To  hlliry  the  movement  I  told  John  to  bring  up 
the  rear  of  the  party,  and  that  in  the  meantime  1  would 
go  on. 


198  THE  FAR  INTERIOB. 

So  constant  had  been  the  warnings  of  danger,  that  I 
treated  them  lightly ;  but  I  now  began  to  think  I  had 
perhaps  been  unwise  in  paying  so  little  heed  to  the  dismal 
foreboding  of  my  apprehensive  followers. 

Karemba,  two  other  boys,  and  myself  in  advance  of  the 
rest,  proceeded  on  the  journey,  and  after  limping,  for  it 
could  not  be  called  walking,  we  in  four  hours  covered  about 
eight  miles  from  our  last  halting  place. 

As  we  emerged  from  the  forest  flats  we  observed,  gra- 
dually rising  into  view,  the  great  grey  mountain  which  had 
been  seen  from  afar  on  the  previous  night,  when  it  had  the 
appearance  of  a  motionless  cloud  hanging  over  the  dense 
darkness  of  the  covered  plain.  Now  it  stood  boldly  out  in 
all  the  grandeur  of  its  massive  and  lofty  immobility,  with  its 
noble  outline  clearly  shown  against  the  beauty  of  the  soft 
blue  sky,  while  the  sunshine  gleamed  brightly  upon  its 
time-worn  sides. 

For  the  last  five  miles  the  footpaths  had  been  good  and 
hard,  only  broken  here  and  there  by  belts  of  long  grass. 
The  path  showed  signs  of  a  considerable  traffic ;  only  men, 
no  cattle.  I  saw  a  good  deal  of  buffalo  and  eland  spoor,  but 
of  course  in  our  present  miserable  circumstances  hunting 
was  out  of  the  question. 

When  we  had  reached  a  point  within  half  a  mile  of  the 
mountain  stronghold,  we  sat  down  to  rest,  as  we  were  very 
far  ahead  of  the  party. 

Karemba  was  uneasy.  He  said  I  ought  to  have  sent  a 
present  to  the  king  before  approaching  near  to  his  town ; 
adding  that  it  would  not  be  well  to  walk  past  the  place  and 
camp.  I  must  own  that  I  was  very  wrong  in  ignoring  what 
Karemba  had  said ;  but  then  it  should  be  borne  in  mind 
that  I  was  spoilt  through  hearing  so  many  false  reports  of 
•danger.     Hitherto  the  chiefs,  without  exception,  had  treated 


"/  COULD   SEE    WILD- LIKE   BLACK  FOB  MS."      199 

me  well :  at  any  rate  they  could  not  be  accused  of  being 
hostile.  Our  troubles  all  arose  from  friction  among  our 
own  little  party. 

"  Karemba,"  I  said,  "  the  chief  will  be  all  right.  I  will 
give  him  a  present  in  the  morning." 

"  But  this  is  a  very  big  man,"  he  replied, "  we  should  camp 
here  until  he  allows  us  to  pass  through  his  country." 

The  speaker  seemed  much  frightened.  But  I  \vas  loth  to 
imagine  that  anything  could  be  wrong.  As  we  neared  the 
stronghold  Karemba  kept  repeating  the  advice,  "  Stop  here, 
and  let  two  men  go  on." 

Under  ordinary  circumstances  this  proposal  would  not 
have  been  unreasonable,  but  I  was  fearful  of  the  main  body 
of  the  party,  the  members  of  which  would  assuredly  beat  a 
quick  retreat  on  the  appearance  of  the  slightest  excuse 
to  do  so. 

The  main  body  soon  arrived.  With  four  men  beside  me 
I  kept  the  lead  about  four  hundred  yards  ahead  of  the  rest. 
Soon  we  arrived  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain  fastness.  The 
path  which  led  to  it  made  many  circuitous  windings,  and 
ran  across  a  little  rivulet  which  was  spanned  by  two  rough 
poles. 

With  the  wildest  shouts  telling  that  we  wished  to  buy 
food  (the  customary  cry  of  the  Mashona  as  they  advance 
to  a  town — it  is  equivalent  to  the  sentinel's  assurance  of 
"  friends  ")  we  kept  moving  on.  The  shouts  echoed  and 
re-echoed  amidst  the  recesses  of  the  great  rocks,  as  we 
continued  skirting  round  the  mountain. 

I  looked  upwards.  There,  as  though  in  the  dark  haunt  of 
a  demon,  I  could  see  wild-like  black  forms  ranged  in  rows 
along  the  tops  of  the  rude  Cyclopean  rocks,  while  lower 
down,  close  to  where  the  pathway  led  us,  human  forms 
seemed  to  spring  from  every  rock. 


200  TEE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

Our  cries  had  "  garrisoned  the  glen  "  with  a  vengeance ! 
Devil-like  the  creatures  leaped  from  stone  to  stone  as  they 
hastened  towards  us. 

No  sooner  did  they  see  me  than  they  were  off  with  a 
bound.  Some  ran  ahead  of  us  at  breakneck  speed,  as  if  bent 
upon  carrying  quick  tidings  to  their  chiefs  and  headmen  of 
the  arrival  of  a  white  man.  Then  I  inwardly  said  :  "  Fool ! 
these  people  do  look  alarmed.  I  ought  to  have  taken 
Karemba's  advice."     Now  it  was  too  late. 

As  we  trended  our  way  the  natives  sprung  from  all  sides. 
Whenever  they  would  pass  me  they  would  give  me  a  wide 
berth.  They  seemed  frightened  and  very  much  astonished. 
In  appearance  they  at  first  sight  might  be  said  to  resemble 
the  Mashona.  Unlike  the  Mashona,  however,  they  do  not 
file  the  teeth.  Their  tribal  distinction  is  seen  in  the 
manner  in  which  they  tatoo  their  faces,  which  are  marked 
by  little  incisions  cut  around  the  temples  and  upon  the 
forehead  do^Ti  as  far  as  the  bridge  of  the  nose,  I  think 
making  them  very  hideous. 

Many,  I  noticed,  carried  flint-lock  rifles,  but  the  majority 
had  the  assegai,  and  the  bow  and  arrows  similar  to  the 
weapons  of  the  Mashona. 

By  the  time  that  we  had  crossed  the  little  stream  of 
clear  water  on  the  farther  side  of  the  town,  the  crowd  had 
assumed  very  large  proportions.  We  immediately  com- 
menced the  work  of  making  a  strong  camp.  How  long 
we  were  to  be  here  could  not  be  foreseen.  Our  camp  was 
situated  in  the  small  belt  of  thick  forest  which  covered  the 
bank  of  the  stream. 

I  at  once  deputed  Karemba  and  some  of  the  boys  to  go 
and  buy  some  food,  thinking  that  the  timidity  of  the 
people  would  in  this  way  be  allayed. 

As  the  Southern  Cross  was  nearing  its  zenith  I  was  much 


CRITICAL    TIMES.  201 


tempted  to  take  an  observation,  but  from  the  inside  of  tho 
skerm  this  was  impracticable,  owing  to  the  boughs  of  a  tree 
which  were  just  in  the  line  of  sight,  so  that  it  would  liave 
been  necessary  to  take  all  the  paraphernalia  out  to  some 
barer  spot.  Therefore  it  was  more  judicious  to  defer  the 
matter  to  another  day,  when  I  might  be  better  acquainted 
with  the  feelings  of  the  people.  In  the  nicantiiue  astro- 
nomical studies  might  only  aggravate  them,  by  creating 
an  impression  that  I  was  exercising  some  subtle  and  evil 
influence  over  the  crops. 

In  the  bush  I  could  distinguish  numbers  of  women  wlio 
had  brought  bunches  of  corn  on  the  cob,  &c.  They  were 
trading  freely  with  the  boys,  but  they  would  not  approach 
me  upon  any  account,  keeping  well  clear  of  the  skerm  in 
which  I  stood. 

The  boys  soon  returned  with  a  good  supply  of  provisions, 
which  were  wanted  seriously,  for  we  had  not  been  shooting 
for  three  days. 

John  was  not  very  long  in  letting  me  know  that  the  boys 
were  very  frightened.  They  would  go  no  farther  on  any 
account  or  for  any  present.  Of  course  my  first  tliought 
returned  to  the  question  how  I  could  get  some  boys  here  to 
proceed  ?  The  prospect  was  hardly  a  pleasant  one,  for  the 
people  were  evidently  mistrustful. 

Weariness  soon  made  me  oblivious  to  surrounding 
troubles.  I  turned  into  the  small  tent  which  occupied  the 
centre  of  the  enclosure,  and,  after  writing  up  the  journal, 
almost  immediately  dropped  off  into  a  sound  slumber.  But 
the  repose  was  not  of  long  duration.  Karemba  soon  came 
to  arouse  me  saying  that  a  brother  of  the  chief  had  come 
bringing  with  him  a  tusk  of  ivory  in  order  to  purchase 
powder.  Karemba  suggested  that  the  tusk  should  be 
bought  seeing  that  the  owner  was  the  chief's  brother.     I 


202  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

was  unwilling  to  accede  to  this,  because  although  I  had 
plenty  of  cartridges  my  supply  of  loose  powder  was  scant. 

The  case  seeming  to  be  urgent,  however,  I  gave  one  iQask, 
knowing  that  he  would  ask  for  more.  This,  of  course,  he 
did,  and  then  I  repeated  the  donation.  Then  I  lay  down 
again,  but  in  a  little  while  Karemba  returned,  declaring 
that  the  chiefs  brother  must  get  cloth,  and  signing  with 
his  arms  that  he  asked  for  five  fathoms. 

I  felt  that  this  was  not  a  matter  of  trading,  but  was  a 
concession  to  satisfy  a  branch  of  royalty ;  so  I  tore  off  the 
cloth,  thinking,  with  a  sigh  of  relief,  how  glad  I  was  to 
get  rid  of  the  grasping  nocturnal  nuisance. 

But  there  was  no  rest  for  me  !  I  had  hardly  lain  down 
when  I  felt  a  sharp  tug  at  my  blanket.  This  time  both 
John  and  Karemba  stood  before  me.  John  was  evidently 
very  much  disturbed  and  said  : 

"  Geeve  it  um,  master,  geeve  it  um !  De  boys  is  all 
frightened ;  dese  people  is  fighting  wid  us.  De  boys  will 
run,  master ! " 

This  fairly  awoke  me.  Looking  out  I  could  see  all  our 
boys  sitting  up,  not  one  of  them  being  asleep.  The  news 
was  then  repeated  that  all  the  boys  were  afraid :  the 
people  they  said  would  fight  with  us,  if  I  did  not  yield 
to  their  requests.  Consequently  I  gave  out  four  yards 
more. 

I  then  went  over  to  the  fire  and  sat  there,  my  object  being 
to  endeavour  to  instil  a  little  confidence  into  the  wavering 
men.  Things  were  beginning  to  look  serious.  I  told  John 
as  a  last  chance,  to  try  and  find  out  quietly  whether  the 
boys  would  go  forward  early  in  the  morning,  and  we  would 
soon  pass  out  of  the  country.  This  proposal  I  need  hardly 
say  was  not  a  success. 

They  were  going  liome  in  the  morning  !     If  they  went  in 


MAKORIKORI  HOSTILITY.  203 

the  direction  I  wished  them  to  go  they  would  surely  be 
killed  by  the  tribes  near  the  river. 

A  heavy  dew  had  been  falling.  I  could  see  the  reputed 
brother  of  the  chief  clearly  by  the  light  of  the  fire.  He  had 
a  very  numerous  following  of  armed  men,  whose  weapons, 
all  wet  with  the  globules  of  dew,  glistened  jewel  like  in  the 
moonlight  rays. 

I  would  have  liked  very  much  to  have  entered  into  a 
conversation  with  this  man  ;  but  considering  his  hostile 
attitude,  and  the  peremptory  tone  he  adopted  when  asking 
for  more  cloth,  a  demand  which  was  repeated  ad  nauseam, 
I  kept  aloof.  After  coming  out  of  the  tent  I  had  to  give 
him  more,  and  from  these  frequent  concessions  it  might  be 
construed  that  the  white  man  was  afraid.  Ao-ain  and  ajrain 
he  asked  for  powder,  but  this  demand  was  refused  point 
blank. 

Morning  dawned  beautiful,  clear,  and  calm,  contrasting 
strongly  with  the  distracting  tumult  of  our  camp  during  the 
night.  Meat  was  very  scarce,  so  it  was  necessary  that  some 
should  be  had.  Therefore  I  started  in  pursuit  of  game, 
although  I  did  not  like  the  idea  of  leaving  tlie  camp  in  the 
present  crisis.  One  of  the  Makorikori  stragglers,  who  were 
outside  the  skerm,  was  picked  up  through  his  having  been 
in  conversation  with  Sagwam.  Taking  him  with  us  we  soon 
came  upon  eland  spoor.  The  boy  said  he  saw  a  big  bull 
eland  close  to  us ;  but  the  forest  was  very  thick,  and  it 
was  impossible  to  get  a  shot. 

My  guide  was  in  a  great  state  of  excitement  as  we  stalked 
along.  Unfortunately  the  eland  must  have  sighted  us,  for 
a  rushing  sound  and  a  crashing  of  the  bushes  quickly  told 
us  that  all  chances  of  bagging  were  gone  like  the  wind.  I 
would  have  continued  hunting,  even  after  this  disappoint- 
ment, but  was  doubtful  about  the  expediency  of  leaving 


204  THE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

camp  for  any  length  of  time.  There  was  a  great  danger  of 
my  party  deserting  at  any  moment  through  fear. 

During  the  little  hunting  trip,  however,  I  was  enabled 
through  the  medium  of  Sagwam  to  find  out  through  our 
young  guide  the  direction  in  which  Tette  lay  ;  the  informa- 
tion convincing  me  that  I  had  been  perfectly  right  in  what 
I  had  told  the  Mashona  all  along. 

He  also  gave  the  information  that  the  tribe  which  occupied 
the  land  lying  immediately  to  the  north  were  called  the 
Bazurke.  From  our  position  at  the  time,  as  near  as  I  could 
make  out,  Tette  lay  almost  due  east.  Therefore  as  the 
Mashona  refused  to  proceed,  I  determined  that  they  should 
no  longer  lead  me  by  the  nose.  I  could  have  pioneered 
the  way  quite  easily,  but  in  that  case  the  course  would 
have  been  easterly,  and  they  would  not  go  in  that  direction. 
They  had  repeatedly  refused  to  do  so. 

The  young  Makorikori  promised  to  go  with  me,  if  the 
chief  would  allow  him.  All  the  signs,  however,  went  to 
show  that  the  king  was  of  a  very  different  type,  in  the  power 
of  his  ruling,  from  the  others  whom  I  had  encountered  in 
recent  wanderings. 

On  going  back  to  the  camp,  I  looked  towards  the  great 
mountain,  and  my  impression  was  that  the  scene  was  by  far 
the  wildest  that  I  had  ever  witnessed  as  a  position  for  a 
town.  It  completely  defied  attack  from  without ;  the  huge 
rocky  mass  standing  nearly  a  thousand  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  fields  of  gently  waving  com  which  spread  out  from 
its  stupendous  base. 

Whispered  reports  of  various  kinds — but  all  unsatisfactory 
■ — urged  me  to  expedite  the  sending  of  a  present  to  the 
king.  Between  the  Chibero  men,  and  the  men  I  had 
enlisted  at  Igova,  there  now  seemed  to  be  a  great  difference 
of  opinion.     This  made  the  relations  of  the  party  more  dis- 


A    THREATENING    UPROAR.  205 

agreeable,  certainly  far  from  being  a  pleasant  experience 
after  the  night's  lugubrious  incidents.  Thoughts,  too,  which 
were  anything  but  cheering  began  to  disturb  my  mind. 
If  our  new  acquaintances  were  hostile,  and  refused  to 
give  me  boys,  what  then  ?  How  was  I  to  proceed  under 
those  circumstances  ? 

As  I  meditated  upon  such  contingencies,  there  arose  a 
new  cause  for  speculation  if  not  alarm  ;  for,  from  the  chief's 
kraal  I  could  hear  the  sounds  of  the  firing  of  guns,  the 
beating  of  drums,  and  a  general  howl  of  many  human  voices. 
What  the  uproar  meant  I  could  not  divine. 

Selecting  some  calico  of  the  strongest  texture  and  of  the 
most  seductive  pattern  I  could  choose,  I  gave  it  to  Karemba 
along  with  a  message  to  the  effect  that  I  Avould  like  to  see 
the  chief.* 

I  also  said  that  I  wished  the  chief  to  give  me  boys,  to 
escort  me  through  his  country  to  the  next  town  in  the 
direction  of  the  Zambesi.  As  I  was  anxious  to  see  the 
entrance  to  the  seemingly  impregnable  stronghold  I  accom- 
panied my  ambassador  for  some  distance  on  his  way. 

As  we  were  nearing  the  town  two  boys  from  the  camp 
overtook  us.  John  had  despatched  them  in  hot  haste  to 
say  that  the  chief  was  in  the  camp,  and  that  we  were  to 
come  back. 

On  returning  to  the  camp  I  soon  distinguished  the 
chief,  who,  supported  by  a  considerable  following,  was 
seated  close  to  our  skerm.  He  was  a  young  man  with  an 
evil  countenance.  Minute  tattoo  marks  described  jagged 
lines  down  his  forehead,  and  circled  around  his  temples, 
while  his  body,  all  over,  was  decorated  with  little  stars,  very 

*  Kegarding  cloth,  it  may  be  interesting  to  note  that  the  Africans  I 
have  met  are  not  in  any  way  particular  about  colours ;  they  prefer  pure 
white. 


206  THE  FAB   INTERIOR. 

neatly  made.  A  number  of  slave  girls  had  accompanied 
him  to  answer  his  beck  and  call  with  due  humility.  Every- 
thing he  required,  tobacco  and  so  forth,  was  handed  to 
his  highness  by  these  girls,  who  in  doing  so,  assumed  a 
kneeling  posture,  and  held  their  hands  together  palms 
upwards. 

I  was  inclined  to  be  very  friendly  with  Chuzu,  the  chief, 
but  did  not  get  an  opportunity,  for  he  said  immediately  that 
"  his  heart  was  sore  because  the  white  man  had  come  into 
his  country  without  asking  his  permission,  or  sending  him  a 
present  to  let  him  know  he  was  coming." 

The  cloth  already  referred  to  was  then  presented  by 
Karemba  through  one  of  the  chief  courtiers,  as  it  is  not  regal 
etiquette  among  these  tribes  for  a  chief  to  receive  a  present 
into  his  own  hands.  When  it  is  given  he  looks  at  it  and 
hands  it  back  to  his  attache. 

It  was  very  apparent  now  that  a  very  big  mistake  had 
been  made  in  not  taking  Karemba's  advice.  The  interview 
with  the  chief  was  brief  and  unsatisfactory.  He  soon  retired, 
and  again  in  the  night-time  drums  were  heard  rolling  in 
the  distance,  and  the  wild  shouts  of  his  people  rang  out 
clear  in  the  silence  of  the  forest. 

Bodies  of  armed  men  made  fires  around  the  camp.  They 
were  evidently  watching  our  movements.  What  were  we  to 
do  ?  John  said  that  it  would  never  do  to  leave  while  all 
these  watchful  warriors  kept  their  eyes  upon  us. 

A  most  uneasy  night  was  spent,  and  there  were  no  signs 
of  relief  when  another  morning  dawned.  The  Makorikori 
people  had  repeatedly  made  demands  for  my  possessions. 
They  especially  would  have  powder,  but  that  I  was  de- 
termined not  to  give. 

By  the  time  that  the  sun  was  well  up  over  the  Umvukwe 
mountains,  our  position  began  to  assume  even  a  more  serious 


"  THE  PEOPLE  ARE   COMING    TO   KILL    USr      207 

aspect.  Nearer  and  clearer  could  be  heard  the  fiendish  yells 
of  approaching  savages.  I  do  not  wish  the  reader  to  think 
that  such  shouts  invariably  had  a  warlike  meaning,  because 
I  have  on  many  occasions  heard  sounds  of  a  similar  nature 
which  were  simply  the  result  of  an  exuberance  of  animal 
spirits.  Now,  however,  the  noises  created  awful  surmises. 
But  there  was  little  time  to  let  them  take  shape.  While  I 
was  writing  a  few  lines  in  my  journal,  John  rushed  up  in  a 
thrilling  state  of  excitement. 

"  Master,  master,"  he  exclaimed,  "  the  people  are  coming 
to  kill  us!  Oh,  what  shall  us  do?  They  want  to  know 
what  the  white  man  wants  in  their  country,  and  de  old  boys 
will  run,  master." 

"  Keep  cool,  John,"  was  my  reply,  "  how  many  of  the 
boys  know  of  this  ?  " 

"  All  de  boys  knows.  Oh,  look  at  Villum,  sir !  He  is 
shaking  all  over.  My  Gaut,  ouh,  my  Gaut,  here  is  de  people 
coming ! " 

Sure  enough  the  Makorikori  were  crowding  upon  us. 
Seeing  that  everything  was  known  to  my  men,  I  endea- 
voured to  assume  an  appearance  expressive  of  unabashed 
confidence.  Walking  to  the  entrance  of  the  skerm;  I 
looked  back  at  the  boys,  and  shouted  to  John  to  tell  them 
that,  as  I  had  said  before,  they  were  perfectly  safe  with  me, 
and  that  I  would  have  no  running.  If  an  attack  was  in- 
tended, John,  Sagwam,  Karemba,  and  myself  would  defend 
them  with  the  guns.  In  order  to  impress  this  promise,  I 
told  John  and  Sagwam  to  sit  close  to  the  guns,  while  I 
strolled  unconcernedly  about  the  camp,  as  if  I  were  perfectly 
comfortable,  and  dwelt  in  conscious  safety. 

Inwardly,  as  the  reader  may  imagine,  I  felt  anything  but 
happy,  or  even  indifferent.  Very  soon  we  were  surrounded 
by  warriors,  who  piled  their  assegais  and  flint-locks  against 


208  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

the  sombre  looking  trees,  which  closely  environed  the 
skerm. 

If  the  worst  should  come,  could  any  thing  be  saved? 
Hardly,  I  reasoned ;  for,  threatened  by  such  overwhelming 
numbers,  it  would  be  folly  to  expect  my  quivering  house- 
hold to  stand  firmly  in  the  face  of  hostility.  I  therefore 
went  to  my  tent,  and  taking  the  money — all  in  sovereigns 
— I  had  been  carrying  in  a  small  bag,  to  meet  natural 
requirements  on  the  sea-coast,  I  rolled  it  up  carefully, 
and  tied  it  firmly  round  John's  waist,  telling  him  that  the 
contents  were  to  be  handed  to  Mr.  Selous,  to  Mr.  Fairbairn, 
or  to  Mr.  Thomas,  at  Buluwayo. 

John's  chances  of  escape  were  infinitely  better  than  mine ; 
for  I  knew  that  my  body  would  naturally  be  the  chief 
target  for  the  enemy.  As  any  man  would,  or  should,  do 
in  a  similar  position,  I  had  made  up  my  mind  to  keep 
my  men  well  together. 

A  whole  multitude  had  by  this  time  assembled  in  our 
vicinity;  and  soon  the  chief  himself  appeared  upon  the 
scene,  accompanied  by  a  number  of  endunas  or  headmen. 
An  ominous  sign  was  that  the  women  and  children,  who 
had  followed  the  crowd,  were  sent  home. 

The  chief  seated  himself  at  a  considerable  distance  from 
where  I  stood.  He  did  not  come  near,  or  even  look  at  me, 
but  now  and  then  would  eye  me  askance. 

One  remark  he  addressed  to  me  was :  "  You  are  Mzungo  " 
(meaning  Portuguese),  an  assertion  which  I  straightway 
denied.  Evidently  the  suspicious  monarch  imagined  that 
John  was  a  white  man  too,  and  indeed  the  sallow  complexion 
of  the  latter  was  very  like  that  of  some  Portuguese :  his 
skin  was  even  lighter  than  that  of  many  of  the  same 
nationality  whom  I  have  seen.  John  and  myself,  too,  were 
almost  always  sitting  or  standing  together. 


EXPECTING   AN  ATTACK.  209 


Chuzu's  every  action  revealed  his  excess  of  uneasiness, 
caused  by  the  sudden  advent  of  the  white  man,  and  ho 
kept  up  a  constant  iteration  of  the  question  : 

"  What  does  the  white  man  want  in  my  country  ?  " 

Karemba's  services  were  here  invaluable  as  an  interpreter. 
I  felt  certain  that  so  long  as  we  could  keep  the  chief  in 
close  proximity,  there  would  be  no  active  demonstrations 
of  hostility.  He  would  be  afraid  he  might  fall  a  victim 
to  the  deadliness  of  our  rifles.  His  uneasiness  was  re- 
markable ;  he  evidently  had  the  greatest  difficulty  in 
sitting  still,  and  restlessly  walked  about,  seating  himself 
sometimes,  but  almost  immediately  rising  to  his  feet. 

Like  many  other  travellers,  I  tried  a  little  tacit  intimi- 
dation. I  especially  showed  how  quickly  C.  L.  K.  could 
be  manipulated,  pantomimically  going  through  all  the 
manoeuvres  of  firing.  I  also  told  Karemba  to  tell  him 
what  an  awful  weapon  my  eight-bore  was,  the  cartridge  of 
which  was  exhibited.  Personally  it  was,  perhaps,  better  to 
say  little.  Nothing  that  we  said  would  be  believed ;  so  a 
little  dissembling  was  advisable. 

What  I  was  in  reality  endeavouring  to  do,  was  to  prolong 
the  inactivity  until  darkness  had  fallen.  Then  I  resolved 
to  beat  a  retreat  at  all  hazards.  Of  course  I  could  not  find 
out  anything  from  Karemba,  until  the  chief  had  departed, 
and  I  knew  not  a  word  of  what  had  been  said.  At  night 
in  a  predicament  of  this  description,  one  feels  quite  a 
host  in  himself;  for  experience  among  the  wild  races  I 
have  encountered  has  taught  me  that  while  one  is  awake  at 
night,  and  on  the  alert,  they  do  not  like  to  begin  the 
attack. 

Sitting  in  our  camp,  I  saw  the  boy  whom  we  had  met 
when  hunting  during  the  previous  day.  He  was  busily 
engaged  in  talking  with  Sagwam;   but  he  soon  left,  and 

VOL.  I.  P 


210  TEE  FAB   INTERIOR. 

John  then  informed  me  what  he  had  said.  The  boy's 
mother  it  seems  had  overheard  in  the  chief's  kraal  that  we 
were  all  to  be  killed  that  very  night.  The  old  woman  had 
sent  the  boy  to  warn  us  of  the  danger. 

I  will  not  attempt  to  describe  the  troubles  of  the  camp 
after  this  intelligence  had  been  diffused.  Moments  seemed 
to  be  hours ;  and  it  was  with  the  utmost  difficulty  that 
a  complete  stampede  was  checked:  although  at  times  it 
appeared  to  be  imminent,  even  inevitable.  The  position 
I  was  in  was  very  peculiar,  for  I  could  not  know  a  word 
of  what  was  being  said,  except  through  interpretation. 
Therefore  I  waited  anxiously  for  the  current  of  events. 

Farewell  to  thee,  oh,  setting  sun,  which  a  thousand  times 
hast  gladdened  my  wearied  eyes !  Never  before,  nor  with 
greater  joy,  have  I  watched  the  golden  glow  of  thy  glorious 
light,  than  I  now  do  when  thy  far  reaching  gleams  sweep 
over  the  deepening  shades  of  rock  and  forest,  until  the 
last  faint  tints  linger  over  the  heights  of  the  darkening 
earth. 

Welcome,  welcome,  night!  Ere  that  sun  again  silvers 
the  eastern  sky,  many  miles  will  lay  between  us  and  this 
inhospitable  spot. 

By  nightfall  the  chief  had  departed,  but  his  warriors  still 
remained,  keeping  up  their  hostile  vigil.  Then  I  had  an 
opportunity  of  hearing  from  Karemba  what  were  the  fears 
of  Chuzu.  It  seemed  that  the  chief  thought  that  I  had 
come  as  a  spy  into  his  country :  and  would  not  believe  that 
John  and  myself  were  other  than  Portuguese.  That  night 
we  were  to  be  surrounded.  Karemba  was  to  leave  the  camp, 
as  they  would  not  hurt  him. 

Chuzu's  men,  Karemba  also  stated,  would  all  leave  about 
sundown.  This  was  actually  the  case,  for  just  after  the  sun 
had  sunk,  they  one  by  one  disappeared  with  bounds  into 


A    MIDNIGHT  ESCAPE  AND   RETREAT.  211 

the  bushes ;  some  saying  that  they  were  going  to  stalte  out 
their  nets  for  game  on  the  flats  beneath,  through  which  our 
road  ran,  so  that  their  proximity  was  a  cause  of  additional 
apprehension. 

Numbers  of  people  must  still  have  remained  in  the  town, 
for  when  the  chief  returned,  the  beating  of  drums  was  again 
heard  vibrating  through  the  air. 

After  the  main  body  had  departed,  two  headmen  of  the 
chief  remained,  and  were  seated  at  the  entrance  to  the 
enclosure.  The  fires  were  still  kept  burning  brightly,  so 
as  to  make  those  watching  from  a  distance  understand  that 
we  were  still  awake.  At  the  last  moment  even,  I  was 
afraid  that  the  Mashona  would  leave  their  loads, 

I  told  them  to  go  slowly  round  the  town — on  no  account 
to  hurry — while  I  would  remain  in  camp  until  all  had  left. 
By  that  time  only  one  of  Chuzu's  men  remained,  and  he 
seemed  to  be  immovable.  I  took  hold  of  his  arm,  and  told 
him  through  Karemba  that  he  could  not  leave,  but  must 
remain  until  the  camp  was  cleared;  if  he  attempted  to 
raise  an  alarm  he  would  at  once  be  despatched. 

The  distant  sounds  of  shouts  and  of  beating  drums  had 
almost  died  away  when  the  word  was  given,  and  the  boys 
shouldered  their  loads.  It  would  have  been  a  grand  coup, 
for  Chuzu  had  he  got  all  the  rifles,  cartridges,  powder, 
and  trading  articles,  but  on  this  occasion  such  was  not  his 
fortune. 

Keeping  Karemba  with  me,  I  remained  until  we  thought 
that  John  and  the  party  had  reached  the  most  westerly 
point  of  the  mountain's  base,  for  the  path  we  had  to  follow 
ran  close  beneath  the  mighty  boulders,  at  the  back  of  which 
the  chiefs  town  was  situated. 

Cursing  Chuzu  and  our  bad  luck,  we  took  leave  of  the 
astounded  prisoner,  gladly  bidding  adieu  to  our  dangerous 

p  2 


212  TEE  FAR  INTEBIOB. 

camping  ground,  and  overtaking  the  party  under  the  vast 
shadow  of  the  mournful  rocks  at  the  nearest  point  to  the 
town. 

On  that  memorable  retreat  the  Mashona  marched  faster 
than  they  had  ever  done  before,  and  all  in  close  order,  one 
treading  upon  the  other's  heels.  Once,  just  at  the  point 
where  the  path  took  a  bend,  the  bark  of  a  dog  was  heard, 
immediately  causing  the  men  to  push  on  at  an  extra- 
ordinarily rapid  rate. 

A  small  river  that  ran  past  the  southern  end  of  the  town, 
beside  the  maize  gardens,  and  close  to  a  number  of  stake 
nets  set  for  game,  had  to  be  crossed.  This  was  a  much 
to  be  dreaded  point  in  the  event  of  hostile  action.  There 
were  only  two  small  poles  to  cross  over. 

Excepting  the  accident  of  two  men  falling  in,  we  soon 
got  well  over  to  the  other  side.  Before  penetrating  the 
forest  we  made  a  short  halt  for  rest,  and  it  was  with 
slight  satisfaction  that  I  looked  back.  True,  we  had 
come  successfully  out  of  a  difficulty;  but  then  we  had 
worked  so  hard  to  get  here,  and  what  a  disappointment ! 
We  had  yet  a  long  distance  to  go  before  we  were  out  of 
this  wretched  country.  A  feeling  of  relief  had  just  cheered 
us  when  we  knew  that  we  were  within  a  few  days'  journey 
of  the  Zambesi,  and  now  we  were  turned  relentlessly  back. 
Deeply  and  strongly  did  I  invoke  all  the  chastising  gods  to 
visit  condign  punishment  upon  the  suspicious  and  stubborn 
Chuzu. 

I  said  just  now  "this  wretched  country."  Experience 
certainly  made  it  so  to  us.  Yet  even  under  the  pall  of 
disappointment,  as  I  looked  back  upon  the  landscape  I 
could  not  help  being  struck  with  its  boundless  beauty, 
expanding  silent,  varied,  and  lovely  under  the  jDcarl-like 
light  of  the  cloudless  moon,  and  showing  the  great  moun- 


EO,   FOR  NORTHERN  MATAB ELI-LAND  !  213 

tain  like  a  mighty  sphinx,  which  overlooked  for  all  eternity 
the  western  wilderness. 

We  stepped  with  a  swinging  gait  into  the  depths  of  the 
luxuriant  forest  "  It's  an  ill  wind  that  blows  nobody  good," 
and  my  disappointment  brought  joy  to  others.  While 
visions  of  grave  probabilities  and  graver  possibilities  filled 
my  mind,  the  household  were  singing — 0  happy  day ! 
They  thought  they  were  en  route  for  the  waggon,  lloaniing 
was  over.  Soon  they  would  revel  in  luxury  in  the  hunter's 
home,  in  the  balmy  land  of  the  honey  bird. 

Ho,  for  northern  Matabeli-land  !  There  all  was  sunshine 
and  plenty.  Meat,  meat,  meat,  was  to  be  eaten  during  the 
intervals  of  long  oblivious  hours  of  happy  sleep  ! 

Ho,  for  Buluwayo,  the  kraal  of  the  great  black  king  ! 
Home  !  Home  again,  in  time  for  the  merry  dance  at  the 
opening  of  another  year  ! 

Shall  it  be  so  ?  Has  the  journey  failed  ?  Am  I  to 
retrace  my  steps,  desponding  and  disappointed,  back  to  the 
home  of  the  white  man  ? 


214  THE  FAB   INTERIOR. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

RECONNOITRING. 

"  Ah,  master !  I  tink  of  me  leetle  wife." — Negotiating  with  Sandani — He 
tells  of  Negomo — Chibero  dread  and  mistrust — The  valley  of  the 
Etsatse — The  Grumapudzi  river — An  uninviting  country — Gold  finding 
possible — A  friendly  welcome — "  Gughle,  gughle  seree ! " — Curing  a 
fit — My  first  present — Frightening  the  white  man — Native  drums — 
Gold — Products  of  the  country — Mode  of  life — Chibabura  presents  me 
with  an  ox — Friendly  people — Assegai  practice — A  successful  shot — 
Cobbling  shoes — Appearance  of  the  people — Adornments  of  the  women 
and  men — Absence  of  gold  ornaments — Smoking  customs — Entertain- 
ments— Weapons  and  implements  —  The  "look  out" — A  strange 
musician — Anxiety  about  John — Powder  of  native  manufacture — 
Eeflections  on  the  retreat  from  Chuzu's — Startled  by  a  baboon — 
Retrospect. 

A  SOFT  refreshing  breeze  swept  up  the  Etsatse  valley  on 
the  night  of  the  10th  of  July,  fanning  into  lively  flames 
the  fires  which  we  had  made  from  the  wind-fallen  timber. 
Around  the  flickering  blaze  unhappy  groups  sat  in  a  sulky 
silence,  which  was  broken  only  by  the  melancholy  sound  of 
the  wind  as  it  bent  the  trees,  and  made  them  creak  a  doleful 
and  depressing  dirge. 

"  What  makes  you  so  fearfully  despondent,  John  ?  " 

"  Ah,  master !  I  tink  of  me  leetle  wife." 

"Never  mind,  John,  we  will  yet  get  to  the  Zambesi. 
Then  just  think  of  the  lot  of  elephants  we  may  come  across ; 
there  are  plenty  on  the  river." 

"  But,  master,  de  Igova  men  is  gone,  and  dese  Chibero 
say  dey  will  leave  all  de  tings  here.     De  meal  is  done. 


THE  IGOVA   MEN  DESERT.  215 

My  Gaut !  what  shall  us  do  wid  dese  peoples  ?  Karem,  he 
say  he  is  very  tired  now,  and  want  to  go  home." 

After  a  long  confabulation  of  this  kind  John's  spirits  rose, 
and  I  was  by  no  means  sorry  when  I  heard  him  say  : 

"I  like  to  see  de  beeg  town  on  the  rafeer  (river)." 

The  old  man  Sandani,  whom  we  had  recruited  on  our 
journey  northwards,  sat  opposite  me,  for  he  never  went  far 
from  the  source  of  the  bead  supply.  Sandani  was  evidently 
on  a  foraging  expedition,  and  was  bent  upon  being  able  to 
give  a  good  account  of  himself  on  his  return  home. 

The  Igova  men  who  had  left  had  each  received  a  small 
present.  Although  they  left  rather  awkwardly,  they  had 
done  all  I  could  expect  them  to  do,  as  they  had  said  they 
would  only  go  to  the  Makorikori  country.  Their  desertion 
rather  suited  my  views,  too,  because  it  prevented  the  possi- 
bility of  a  further  and  immediate  falling  back  towards  the 
waggon. 

I  had  left  the  payment  of  Sandani  until  the  last.  When 
his  turn  came,  I  said  that  I  wished  him  to  wait  for  a  little, 
and  I  would  pay  him  more  than  the  rest,  assuming  that  his 
absorbing  love  of  calico  would  yet  be  the  means  of  our 
getting  valuable  information.  As  it  was  clear  he  was  to 
take  all  he  could  from  me,  I  was  determined  to  get  all  I 
could  from  him,  so  that  the  thoughts  of  both  lay  in  similar 
directions. 

Besides,  I  was  impressed  with  the  belief  that  the  old  boy 
had  not  lived  and  roved  amidst  these  rocks  for  nearly  half 
a  century  without  knowing  something  of  the  eastern  country. 
Sandani,  however,  evidently  judged  me  with  a  suspicious 
mind,  being  apparently  under  the  impression  that  I  meant 
to  cheat  him  and  his  son  out  of  their  honest  emoluments. 
All  the  morning  he  had  been  in  a  storming  rage,  which  had 
gradually  exhausted  itself,  for  he  was  then  paying  strict 


216  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 


attention  to  replenishing  the  inner  man,  while  at  intervals 
he  would  look  at  me  with  a  comical  reproachfulness  in  his 
squinting  eyes. 

During  the  evening  I  revealed  to  John  my  determination 
to  endeavour  to  skirt  Chuzu's  country.  Seeing  that  the 
Mashona  would  not  go  to  the  east,  I  said  I  would  try  to  get 
old  Sandani  and  his  son  to  go  with  me,  along  with  Karemba 
and  Sagwam,  so  that  we  should  see  what  luck  or  loss  lay  in 
store  for  us  in  the  mistrusted  direction.  All  ideas,  how- 
ever slight,  of  returning  to  the  waggon  were  now  wholly 
abandoned. 

The  worst  of  the  position  was  that  there  was  no  way  of 
getting  up  a  reliable  party.  The  only  plan  was  to  work  as 
we  had  been  doing,  from  one  chief  to  another. 

At  this  juncture  all  the  household's  happy  thoughts  of 
home  were  mercilessly  annihilated.  One  and  all  became 
very  sulky,  and  there  was  a  marked  disinclination  to  move 
except  in  a  southerly  direction. 

I  had  a  few  cotton  blankets  left,  and  of  these  I  offered  one 
to  Sandani,  at  the  same  time  holding  my  palms  out,  and 
explaining  as  best  I  could  that  he  should  also  have  that 
quantity  of  beads  if  he  guided  me  to  the  next  chief.  At  that 
critical  point  of  the  journey  not  one  of  the  interpreters  could 
be  implicity  trusted ;  they  were  too  anxious  to  get  home. 

A  great  deal  of  questioning  drew  the  information  from 
Sandani  that  there  was  a  very  big  chief  whose  country  was 
about  two  days'  journey  to  the  east.    His  name  was  Negomo. 

At  the  sound  of  this  name  the  Chibero  men  cocked  up 
their  ears.  They  had  been  giving  old  Sandani  the  cold 
shoulder  during  the  journey,  and  they  now  began  a  vigorous 
protestation  to  the  effect  that  the  Negomo  people  were  not 
their  friends,  and  would  be  sure  to  kill  the  white  man  and 
his  boys.     As  a  matter  of  course,  this  had  the  result  of 


THE    VALLEY   OF   THE  ETSATSE.  217 

sending  Karemba  and  Sagwam  nearly  out  of  their  wits  with 
fright.  Fortunately  old  Sandani  was  so  much  interested 
about  his  blanket  and  his  pretty  beads  of  red  porcelain, 
that  he  answered  all  expostulations  with  scowls,  declaring 
that  he  was  a  personal  friend  of  the  great  chief. 

I  had  then  to  go  through  the  ever-recurring  routine  of 
giving  assurances  of  safety,  backed  up  by  presents,  and 
promises  to  my  two  faithfuls. 

Intending  to  travel  as  lightly  and  as  fast  as  practicable — 
because  it  was  impossible  to  say  what  was  ahead  of  us — we 
only  carried  a  blanket,  a  few  yards  of  cloth,  a  small  cooking- 
pot,  and  a  tiny  bag  of  rice  and  tea.  For  the  rest  we  trusted 
to  the  rifle,  and  we  were  ready  for  an  early  start  on  the 
following  morning. 

Early  perhaps,  but  hardly  easy.  The  Chibero  men  de- 
layed us  seriously  through  their  continued  remonstrances. 
They  declared  that  the  white  man  would  surely  be  killed 
by  the  Negomo  people.  Old  Sandani  and  his  son  were 
ready,  but  the  two  faithfuls  had  weakened  in  spirit  at  the 
last  moment.  Finally,  however,  I  succeeded  as  on  former 
occasions  in  getting  their  objections  removed,  and  we  were 
ready  for  the  road.  Karemba  was  the  most  stubborn  and 
the  most  difficult  to  satisfy,  but  ultimately  urgent  assur- 
ances of  absolute  safety  brought  him  to  acquiescence  in  the 
beginning  of  our  new  venture. 

"  Good-bye,  John ;  keep  your  spirits  up.  We  will  soon 
see  the  big  river  and  the  great  town." 

*•  My  Gaut,  master  !  look  out !     Look  out,  sir !  " 

"  Never  fear,  John  ;  we  will  soon  return.     Good-bye !  " 

A  handful  of  beads  were  passed  to  each  of  the  Chibero 
men,  and  then  we  were  off,  en  route  eastwards  to  the  un- 
known. 

Wending  our  way  down  the  valley  of  the  Etsatse,  we 


218  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

crossed  some  very  marshy  strips  of  land,  and  two  hours' 
journey  brought  us  to  the  verge  of  the  great  plateau  through 
which  we  had  marched.  On  the  south-east,  at  no  great 
distance,  the  Kusaka,  or  Uakania  mountains,  to  which  I 
have  already  alluded,  were  clearly  visible.  These  moun- 
tains hem  in  the  Grumapudzi  river  on  its  southern  side.  A 
large  portion  of  this  country  could,  with  little  difficulty,  be 
reached  in  waggons. 

Rough  as  these  hills  are,  with  their  immense  huddled 
heaps  of  broken  rock,  their  recesses  are  rich  with  mines  of 
wealth,  going  to  feed  the  gold-producing  rivers,  which 
year  after  year  are  accumulating  the  precious  metal  as  it  is 
moved  by  atmospheric  influences,  or  washed  by  the  action 
of  the  rains. 

Some  Mashona  gardens  were  passed,  in  which  we  came 
across  numbers  of  youngsters,  who  fled  in  all  directions  as 
soon  as  they  saw  us. 

A  short  walk  in  a  direct  line  brought  us  to  a  point  where 
we  would  be  compelled  to  descend  rapidly  into  what  seemed 
to  be  a  boundless  expanse,  broken  by  chains  of  sharp  moun- 
tain ridges,  shrouded  in  sombre  blue,  and  whose  outlines 
resembled  the  tempest-hurled  billows  of  a  far-stretching 
sea,  lessening  as  they  receded,  until  both  form  and  colour 
mingled  with  and  were  lost  in  the  leaden  hue  of  the 
horizon. 

Through  these  mountains,  descending  to  their  rugged 
ravines,  and  winding  up  the  tortuous  paths  of  their  rough- 
ened sides,  lay  the  line  of  our  journey. 

Uninviting  as  the  country  was,  the  sensation  of  peering 
into  the  midst  of  a  wild  unexplored  region  was  not  devoid 
of  charm.  All  this  land  through  which  the  Waynge  and 
the  Grumapudzi  rivers  flow,  is  called  Whata. 

The   appearance   of  the   country  seems  to  indicate  the 


SANDANI  IS   OBSTINATE.  219 

likelihood  of  gold  being  found.  But  it  is  impossible  to  say 
whether  the  working  would  pay  ;  a  surmise  that  could  only 
be  decided  by  systematic  prospecting  by  adepts  in  the  art 
of  gold  finding. 

Sandani  soon  pointed  out  a  massive  square  rock,  which 
towered  up  high,  far  away  amidst  the  mountained  sea  of 
stone.  As  he  pointed,  he  said,  in  sonorous  and  commanding 
tones,  "  Negomo."  Taking  our  opinion  from  the  imposing 
solemnity  of  his  style,  it  was  clear  that  this  great  chief 
must  be  given  all  the  deference  due  to  the  species  of  mortal 
gods  who  are  to  be  found  in  every  part  of  the  world. 

Old  Sandani  here  caused  considerable  delay.  He  said 
he  had  a  wife  living  in  a  village  close  to  the  adjacent 
rocks.  Karemba  said,  with  no  slight  emulative  pride,  that 
Sandani  had  many  women.  The  troublesome  old  fellow 
had  to  be  wheedled  with  all  manner  of  strategic  triclvs 
before  he  could  be  induced  to  move.  He  would  stop  for  the 
night ;  his  wife  would  make  meal,  and  so  forth. 

At  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  had  covered  seventeen 
miles.  Then  old  Sandani  sat  down  in  a  determined  way, 
and  positively  refused  to  go  another  step.  He  looked  at 
me  in  a  most  comical  fashion,  his  squint  eye  seeming  to 
say,  "  Oh,  no  you  don't !  No  more  '  next  water '  for  me. 
I'm  run  down  for  to-day." 

I  had  been  saying,  "  camp  at  next  water,"  but  now  my 
anxiety  to  get  forward  had  touched  Sandani's  wakeful  fancy, 
and  he  meant  that  I  should  pay  for  my  too-evident  weak- 
ness in  disclosing  my  wishes. 

Our  diminutive  camp  was  soon  ship-shape,  and  a  good 
supper  of  pea-nuts  was  a  welcome  close  for  the  day.  Our 
resting-place  lay  beside  a  small  marshy  piece  of  land ;  a 
most  unhealthy,  as  well  as  uncomfortable,  spot,  I  should 
say,  during  the  rainy  season. 


220  THE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

Sandani  informed  me  that  by  noon  on  the  following  day 
we  should  arrive  at  a  town  ruled  by  a  headman  (enduna) 
of  Negomo,  and  that  it  was  probable  that  the  chief  would 
give  me  boys.  He  indicated  the  probable  time  of  our 
arrival  by  pointing  vertically  towards  the  sky,  showing  the 
position  of  the  sun,  whose  path  across  the  heavens  he 
graduated  with  considerable  accuracy,  an  accomplishment 
which  was  peculiarly  well  manifested  among  the  natives 
generally:  they  would  in  this  way  rapidly  indicate  any 
particular  time  of  the  day. 

During  the  night  a  hyena  came  very  close  to  the  skerm. 
The  brute  had  evidently  sniffed  the  odour  of  the  frugal 
evening  meal,  and  in  our  small  assemblage  his  appearance 
caused  quite  a  thrill  of  excitement. 

Lovely  weather  prevailed.  The  nights  were  not  hot, 
neither  were  they  cold,  although  a  chill  was  apt  to  be  felt 
in  the  morning,  especially  when  the  camp  was  pitched  on 
the  bank  of  a  river  or  near  a  swamp. 

The  sun  had  hardly  peeped  above  the  tops  of  the  trees 
when  we  were  again  on  the  move,  without  making  any 
deviation  from  our  course  of  the  previous  day.  The  old 
guide  led  us  through  dismal-looking  stretches  of  morass  and 
belts  of  woodland  and  plain  until  we  crossed  the  Waynge 
river,  the  same  water  we  had  encamped  upon  higher  up, 
when  eventful  times  were  upon  us. 

When  the  sun  had  almost  touched  meridian  we  were  still 
holding  on  our  course.  Towering  in  front  of  us  were  the 
great  rocks  which  we  had  gazed  at  from  the  distant  west. 

The  old  man  said  that  close  by  was  an  outlying  village, 
and  that  the  chiefs  headquarters  were  at  least  a  mile  beyond. 
Gazing  upwards  towards  the  rocks,  which  stood  out  clear 
against  an  almost  steel-blue  sky,  we  could  distinguish  the 
heads  of  many  men,  also  the   naked   figures   of  children. 


NEGOMO'S  PEOPLE.  221 

They  had  seen  us  moving  slowly  along  the  winding 
footpath  beneath,  and  again  and  again  they  shouted  to  us 
from  their  coigne  of  vantage,  than  which  I  could  not  con- 
ceive of  a  finer  position  for  a  town  or  a  stronghold,  offering 
safety  to  a  small  tribe. 

Determined  not  to  be  led  into  a  trap  like  the  last  one, 
and  showing  that  I  had  profited  by  former  experience,  I 
now  positively  refused  to  go  any  farther.  Sandani  here 
turned  the  tables  upon  me,  proving  himself  to  be  a  "  dark 
horse."     He  said  that  with  him  all  was  right. 

Numbers  of  men,  armed  with  assegais  and  knobkerries, 
came  running  down  the  steep  pathway  to  meet  us.  I  was 
glad  to  find  that  Sandani  had  spoken  the  truth  in  the  old 
camp.  The  people  evidently  knew  him.  Doubtless  the 
sad  reprobate  had  another  wife  stowed  away  amidst  these 
cheerless  rocks. 

The  news  of  our  arrival  must  have  spread  like  forked 
lightning.  For  no  sooneir  had  we  ascended  the  mountain 
than  we  were  surrounded  by  crowds  of  the  descendants  of 
Ham,  of  all  sizes  and  ages,  from  the  crowing  infant  in 
arms  to  the  mumified  savage  who  might  be  marching  along 
with  the  century.  One  and  all  seemed  very  friendly,  but 
they  were  much  impressed  with  the  novelty  of  my  colour. 

We  halted  in  a  grotto  of  rock.  Sandani,  after  accepting 
snuff  from  the  surrounding  sightseers,  gave  forth  a  heavily- 
charged  harangue,  which  utterly  eclipsed  all  former  orations, 
and  seemed  to  fill  his  audience  with  an  intensity  of  admira- 
tion at  the  marvellous  range  of  his  rhetorical  power.  Poor 
Karemba  was  now  completely  silenced,  for  in  the  older  man 
he  had  found  a  decided  rival,  bursting  with  a  greatness  of 
eloquence  which  would  brook  no  opposition,  as  Karemba 
himself  was  forced  to  admit. 

Both  Sandani  and  Karemba,  our   natural  orators,  were 


222  TEE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

despatched  with  presents  for  the  king.  They  consisted  of 
a  fine  piece  of  strong  cotton  cloth,  of  many  brilliant  colours, 
and  some  "  flashy  "  porcelains. 

Once  they  were  off,  I  sat  comfortably  amid  the  rocks, 
with  the  wondering  crowd  perched  around  on  every  side. 
As  I  looked  at  the  naked  ones  sitting  on  their  haunches, 
with  their  heels  well  tucked  in  beneath  their  bodies,  and 
nearly  all  eating  roots  or  cracking  nuts,  I  could  not  help 
thinking  how  much  the  scene  resembled  one  which  I  had 
witnessed,  at  which  a  family  of  baboons  were  all  posed  in 
similar  attitudes.  The  human  beings  did  not,  perhaps, 
make  so  much  noise,  but  their  movements  in  eating  and  in 
acting,  as  well  as  their  posture  when  at  rest,  were  all  of  the 
same  character  as  those  of  the  lower  animal. 

After  a  very  long  wait,  during  which  I  was  speculat- 
ing seriously  upon  the  likelihood  of  our  being  favourably 
received,  or  contumeliously  ejected  from  the  territory — we 
might  be  sent  off  without  having  even  the  satisfaction  of 
an  indignation  meeting — Karemba  returned.  His  face  was 
lightened  by  a  half-suppressed  smile  of  satisfaction  as  he 
said ; 

"  Gughle,  gughle,  seree !  " 

The  whole  meaning  was  that  the  king  was  good,  was 
glad  that  the  white  man  had  come  to  see  him,  and  would  be 
able  to  give  boys  to  go  and  fetch  the  valuables.  Nothing 
further,  of  course,  was  said  regarding  my  intended  journey 
towards  the  north. 

Here  I  was,  then,  at  the  outskirts  of  a  Makorikori  town, 
in  the  country  where  the  Chibero  men  had  declared  I  would 
surely  be  killed.  I  had  only  four  followers,  but  we  were 
perfectly  happy,  and  fairly  contented,  with  every  indication 
of  receiving  good  treatment  at  last. 

I  was  requested  to  show  my  rifle.     Just  as  the  exhibition 


CUBING   A   FIT.  223 


was  about  to  begin  one  of  the  audience  suddenly  went 
into  a  fit ;  and  immediately,  as  if  thoroughly  conversant 
with  such  affairs,  the  old  men  gathered  round  the  sufferer. 
They  quickly  placed  a  blanket  over  his  quivering  form, 
reminding  me  of  the  fire-extinguishing  plan.  Under  the 
blanket  he  kicked  violently,  "  squirming  "  all  the  time  like 
a  dying  hare. 

A  grave-looking  old  fellow  advanced,  and  in  a  sitting- 
posture  took  up  his  place  close  to  the  afflicted  one's  head. 
Apparently  he  was  concentrating  his  thoughts,  for  in  a 
little  time  he  began  to  talk  slowly  and  solemnly,  and 
in  a  most  methodical  manner  going  through  a  long  and 
evidently,  to  the  bystanders,  an  interesting  incantation,  in 
the  course  of  which  he  told  what  manner  of  man  the  victim 
was,  and  where  he  had  lived.  It  was  difficult  for  me  to 
find  out  anything  intelligible  about  this  j)eculiar  ceremony  ; 
even  Karemba  looked  solemn  when  I  inquired  as  to  its 
meaning. 

This  incantation,  or  mayhap  the  revival  of  nature,  had 
the  desired  effect  of  driving  the  evil  spirit  out  of  the 
unfortunate  man,  and  leaving  him  in  his  normal  condition. 
The  wild  contortions  and  upheavals  which  had  been  going 
on  under  the  blanket  gradually  subsided,  until  the  figure 
resembled  an  ant  heap,  with  a  blanket  over  it,  drying  in  the 
sun.  After  a  short  pause,  the  man  sat  up,  looked  about,  and 
immediately  took  snuff.  A  dead  silence  ensued — Eichard 
was  himself  again ! 

The  reader  may  imagine  that  it  was  with  the  greatest 
difficulty  that  I  was  enabled  to  keep  my  countenance 
straight  when  witnessing  this  funny  ceremony,  but  for- 
tunately I  did  succeed  in  keeping  up  a  stolid  expression. 

The  weather  being  of  the  brightest  and  best  description, 
I  was  induced  to  take  many  a  solitary  walk  through  the 


224  TEE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

silent  ways  and  by-ways  which  threaded  among  the  rough 
rocks.  These  were  the  times  for  reflection,  and  often  there, 
as  elsewhere,  did  I  meditate  in  solitude  upon  the  plans  and 
prospects  of  my  enterprise. 

At  the  camp  a  man  brought  a  deep  wooden  plate  contain- 
ing hot  roasted  pea-nuts,  the  first  present  I  had  received 
from  the  natives  in  Africa.  Of  course  the  gift  was  conferred 
with  a  keen  view  to  future  reward.  Women  and  girls  came 
to  sell  rice,  millet,  corn  and  native  beer.  With  a  few  beads 
I  had  I  amused  myself  by  trading,  as  provisions  would  be 
much  needed  when  the  whole  of  the  party  arrived. 

I  was  impressed  with  the  idea  that  the  Makorikori  must 
be  very  much  given  to  feasting,  for  the  beating  of  the 
tom-tom  and  the  firing  of  guns  were  loudly  audible  all  the 
afternoon ;  and  now  as  I  reclined,  rolled  up  in  a  blanket, 
on  a  bed  of  wild  grass,  with  nothing  above  but  the  clear  star- 
lit vault  of  heaven,  their  distant  drumming  and  singing  were 
the  last  sounds  I  heard  as  I  dropped  wearily  off  to  sleep. 

A  lovely  morning  ushered  in  the  day.  All  nature  was 
cheerful,  according  ill  with  my  mind,  which  was  filled  with 
restlessness,  until  I  had  sent  Sandani  and  Karemba  to  the 
king  to  intimate  that  I  would  like  the  men  to  be  sent 
to-day,  and  that  one  of  my  boys  would  accompany  them 
to  show  where  John  was  encamped  on  the  Etsatse  river. 
Etiquette  forbade  my  accompanying  the  messengers.  I  had 
to  wait  a  visit  from  His  Majesty  first. 

As  the  day  advanced  numbers  of  people  collected  around, 
watching  my  every  action,  and  highly  entertained  when 
they  saw  me  use  tools  for  eating. 

Occasionally  some  wild-looking  characters,  no  doubt 
endeavouring  to  tease,  or  to  see  if  they  could  frighten  the 
white  man,  would  run  with  a  swift  spurt  close  up  to  me, 
stamping  with  their  feet,  whooping  and  whistling  a  short, 


NATIVE   GOLD.  225 


shrill,  and  very  piercing  note,  while  their  clubs  were  used 
with  threatening  gestures  more  ominous  certainly,  but  very 
like  lungeing  in  fencing. 

Exhibitions  of  the  rifle  were  a  great  success.  The  novel 
way  of  removing  the  front  catch,  and  disconnecting  the 
rifle  from  the  stock,  gave  these  simple  people  intense 
delight.  In  return  they  showed  us  some  articles  of  their 
own  manufacture,  notably  drums  made  from  the  trunks  of 
trees,  which  were  hollowed,  and  on  one  end  covered  with 
tightly  stretched  hide.  These  drums  were  played  upon 
with  the  naked  hands,  and  also  with  sticks. 

Some  of  the  people  brought  gold.  It  was  carried  in  the 
customary  fashion,  i.e.,  in  the  large  quills  of  birds.  The 
sellers  had  come  from  the  Grumapudzi  river,  and  some  from 
the  Amazoe,  where  in  hollow  wooden  trays  they  wash  the 
alluvial  deposits  in  the  water  in  order  to  extract  the  gold. 
The  people  will  carry  their  small  treasure  great  distances 
so  as  to  exchange  it  for  an  ornament  or  a  piece  of  cloth. 
I  was  unable  to  discover  whether  these  primitive  miners 
understood  anything  about  the  method  of  extracting  gold 
by  pulverising  auriferous  quartz. 

The  country  produces  both  iron  and  copper,  and  the 
people  manufacture  beads  from  these  metals. 

Lemons,  citrons  and  sweet  potatoes  are  grown. 

Like  the  Mashona,  the  people  live  in  a  most  simple 
manner.  Nevertheless  they  are  readily  distinguished  from 
their  neighbours  by  the  tattoo  marks  on  the  face  and  body. 
They  seemed  to  have  a  good  supply  of  tower  muskets — 
flintlocks — decorated  in  a  wonderfully  ornamental  manner 
by  means  of  brass-headed  tacks  which  thickly  stud  the 
butts,  while  the  grip  of  the  stocks  as  well  as  the  barrels  are 
bound  at  regular  distances  with  brass  wire,  which  some- 
times is  very  neatly  plaited. 

VOL.  I.  Q 


226  THE  PAR   INTERIOR. 

Soon  a  number  of  young  warriors  appeared  upon  the 
scene,  evidently  anxious  to  show  their  agility,  and  how 
gracefully  they  could  "  burn  powder."  Two  or  three  of 
them  in  a  body  would  take  a  short  run  forward,  dancing 
from  side  to  side,  aiming,  and  looking  up,  down,  and  around 
in  all  directions  as  though  searching  for  the  hidden  enemy. 
When  through  with  their  varied  manoeuvres,  they,  with 
a  "  whoop  ! "  and  a  wild  spring,  would  dart  into  the  air, 
turning  round  and  round  with  top-like  rapidity,  and  not 
ungracefully,  while  they  pointed  with  their  guns  towards  the 
four  quarters  of  the  globe. 

The  people  were  very  friendly,  bringing  an  abundant 
supply  of  sweet  potatoes,  which  I  continued  to  buy,  as 
our  only  substitute  for  bread  or  biscuit.  When  rice  and 
potatoes  could  be  had  I  was  perfectly  satisfied.  The 
potatoes,  when  baked  beneath  a  heap  of  cinders,  were 
very  good,  but  not  nearly  so  sweet  as  the  American  bulb. 

In  a  little  time  I  saw  some  slaves  leading  a  young  ox 
towards  me.  When  the  party,  which  proved  to  be  a  depu- 
tation, arrived,  they  addressed  me,  saying  that  the  ox  was 
a  present  from  the  chief  Chibabura,  enduna  of  Negomo. 
Not  one  of  the  boys  being  in  camp  at  the  time,  it  was  not 
without  difficulty  that  this  gift  was  intimated. 

I  was  quite  amazed  at  the  occurrence,  the  kindness  of 
the  treatment  contrasting  very  strongly  with  the  rough 
experiences  of  the  past.  Had  I  alighted  upon  a  land 
flowing  with  milk  and  honey  ? 

These  friendly  exchanges  were  extremely  gratifying. 
Sagwam  soon  arrived  in  camp,  and  then  I  was  able  to  make 
jnyself  understood,  while  he  informed  me  that  the  young 
man  who  had  brought  the  ox  was  the  king's  son,  and  would 
like  very  much  to  see  my  rifle. 

Crowds   of  little  boys  congregated  in   our    neighbour- 


A   FRIENDLY  PEOPLE.  227 


hood,  and  were  playing  all  day  long.  Their  game  was 
throwing  the  assegai  at  moving  objects,  a  feat  which  re- 
quired a  great  deal  of  practice.  The  targets  were  round 
roots,  about  the  size  of  ostrich  eggs.  These  they  would 
hurl  along  the  ground,  and  as  they  rolled  would  stick  them 
with  assegais  in  a  most  dexterous  manner. 

The  assegais  were  made  of  hard  wood,  burnt  at  the  points, 
or  tipped  with  bone.  Probably  similar  weapons  were  used 
by  their  ancestors,  in  ages  that  are  shrouded  by  the  gloom 
of  unwritten  centuries.  Even  the  sight  of  an  assegai  can 
arouse  a  curious  train  of  thoughts,  which  reach  far  back 
to  those  remote  times  when  the  first  race  of  mankind — 
undoubtedly  hunters — roamed  free  in  the  primeval  forest ; 
when,  according  to  Lucretius — 

"  Men's  earliest  arms  were  fingers,  teeth  and  nails, 
And  stones  and  fragments  from  the  branching  woods." 

The  surrounding  crowd  was  now  very  large.  As  the 
king's  son  was  a  unit  in  the  assemblage,  I  determined  to 
waste  a  cartridge  in  order  to  show  what  the  white  man 
could  do  with  an  assegai  propelled  by  powder.  A  reputation 
as  a  shot  was  undoubtedly  a  desideratum  under  the  circum- 
stances. So  I  took  up  a  position  as  an  exhibitor  of  wizard 
marksmanship,  one  of  the  round  roots,  such  as  the  boys 
used,  being  the  target.  It  was  sent  flying  through  the  air  ; 
and  as  it  sped  I  sent  a  bullet  after  it  from  "  C  L.  K.," 
fortunately  shattering  the  thing  into  fragments,  which  flew 
in  all  directions.  Then  I  quickly  disconnected  the  weapon, 
holding  the  stock  in  one  hand  and  the  barrel  in  the  other. 
The  appreciative  audience  greeted  the  performance  with 
a  shouting  chorus  of  applause,  such  as  would  have  thrilled 
the  heart  of  an  acting  manager. 

Amid  exclamations  of  astonishment,  looks  of  surprise, 
clapping  of  hands,  and  the  dancing  of  little  boys,  I  pre- 

Q  2 


228  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

sented  the  empty  case  of  the  cartridge  and  some  beads  to 
the  king's  son.  Altogether  the  very  ordinary  performance 
had  brought  a  reputation  to  the  marksman.  The  trifles  I 
presented  to  the  king's  son  were  all  I  possessed  until  John 
should  arrive. 

Greatly  to  my  delight,  Karemba  and  sixteen  men  soon 
appeared,  the  latter  having  been  sent  by  the  king.  They 
were  dispatched  at  once,  Sagwam  being  charged  with  full 
instructions  to  bring  John,  and  to  tell  him  that  he  should 
act  well  with  the  Chibero  men,  giving  them  each  a  present, 
and  letting  them  go  home.  Sagwam's  parting  desire  was 
that  I  should  not  kill  the  ox  until  John  and  he  had  re- 
turned. Sagwam  invariably  had  a  memory  of  his  inward 
cravings,  and  was  by  this  time  by  far  the  fattest  man  in 
the  company. 

I  would  have  gone  myself,  but  since  the  time  when  my 
feet  first  began  to  give  trouble,  I  had  covered  over  129  miles 
of  marsh,  hill,  and  plain,  and  during  most  of  the  time  my  feet 
were  soaking  wet.  So  I  determined  to  remain  where  I  was, 
and  try  to  cure  my  suffering  extremities,  besides  exercising 
some  ingenuity  in  the  handicraft  of  the  cobbler.  This 
neglected,  I  should  be  soon  unfitted,  despite  the  best 
determination,  to  proceed. 

Leisure  gave  opportunities  for  observing  something  of 
the  character  and  customs  of  the  happy,  or  properly 
speaking,  contented  race  among  whom  I  was  placed.  The 
women  and  children  flocked  around,  and  appeared  to  con- 
sider my  writing  as  an  occupation  of  amusement.  But 
even  to  Karemba,  who  had  been  a  great  traveller,  writing 
was  an  impenetrable  mystery.  On  a  previous  occasion  I 
had  asked  John  whether  a  Mashona  could  be  induced  to 
carry  a  letter  to  the  Hanyane  river  to  deliver  to  any  hunters 
who  might  be  there.     John  said  that  the  people  did  not 


PERSONAL   ADORNMENTS.  229 

understand  letters,  and  would  not  carry  one  ;  the  idea  being 
that  it  was  better  to  have  nothing  to  do  with  what  they 
did  not  understand. 

Some  of  the  younger  women  here  were  pretty,  possessing 
neat,  slim  figures.  Obesity  was  evidently  an  indication 
of  mature  development.  Hair-dressing  was  clearly  an 
operation  demanding  not  a  little  time.  In  fact  it  must 
have  been  very  laborious  work.  The  most  popular  fashion 
at  this  time  was  the  stringing  of  divers-hued  beads  on  tlie 
hair,  thus  making  the  head  look  like  a  mop  of  many  colours. 
Married  women  shaved  their  heads. 

The  tattoo  marks  on  the  faces,  when  nearty  done,  are  far 
from  being  repulsive.  The  women  simply  pierce  the  upper 
lip,  through  which  a  thin  wire  ring,  sometimes  ornamented 
with  a  few  beads,  is  passed.  Pendant  from  their  necks  hang 
numerous  charms  of  ivory  and  wood,  also  the  claws  of  wild 
animals  strung  together  on  lines  of  gut  and  bark.  Their 
bracelets  are  of  brass  wire,  the  plaiting  of  which  is  ingenious  ; 
while  thick  wire  of  brass  or  iron  form  the  anklets. 

The  men  in  some  cases  wear  ear-rings  and  bracelets. 
The  latter  are  rings  cut  from  the  solid  hide  of  the  buffalo,  or 
some  other  thick-skinned  animal.  A  very  prevalent  custom 
among  the  men  is  the  wearing  on  their  necklaces  of  a 
small  sheath-knife  and  snuff-box. 

Men  have  also  many  ways  of  decorating  their  heads. 
In  the  woolly  hair  some  will  shave  partings  an  inch  wide, 
turning  them  into  circular  patterns.  Others  who  have  an 
objection  to  the  curly  crop  will  straighten  it  with  the 
finest  threads  of  bark,  so  that  when  it  is  finished  it  looks 
like  a  mat  of  twisted  silk  thread,  as  it  literally  shines  with 
oil.  On  the  loins  they  wear,  before  and  behind,  a  strip  of 
leather,  which  drops  in  front  nearly  to  the  feet,  and  is 
always  garnished  with  beads  of  iron,  brass,  or  copper.     On 


230  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

the  march  they  tuck  this  long  pendant  up  to  the  belt. 
Little  bags  made  from  the  whole  skin  of  the  tiny  and 
woolly  ground  squirrel  hang  from  the  neck  as  a  store 
place  for  tobacco,  snuff,  and  light  articles  of  use.  Trinkets 
are  made  from  bone,  and  belts  from  the  white  fossiliferous 
stones  found  in  the  bed  of  the  Zambesi. 

It  was  a  gold-producing  country,  yet  I  did  not  see  a 
single  ornament  made  from  the  precious  metal. 

The  men,  generally  speaking,  had  very  bad  teeth,  covered 
with  a  yellow-looking  tartar,  which  seemed  to  be  due  to  the 
practice  of  incessantly  smoking  hemp  or  tobacco.  They 
produce  the  latter  commodity.  Perhaps  the  eating  of  hot 
pap,  and  hot  roasted  nuts,  which  are  devoured  to  a  great 
extent,  may  also  contribute  to  destroy  the  appearance  of 
the  teeth,  as  they  are  taken  like  hot  cinders. 

In  physique  they  are  by  no  means  a  fine  race.  I  did 
not  see  a  really  finely-formed  man  among  them.  Never- 
theless the  Makorikori  are  physically  a  better  looking  people 
than  the  Mashona. 

They  were  unceasing  in  their  efforts  to  give  entertainment, 
coming  frequently  to  the  spot  where  I  was  sitting  in  order 
to  perform  some  wonderfully  energetic  evolutions,  some  of 
which  I  have  already  described.  Now  and  then  I  have 
seen  them  jumping  into  the  air  with  their  guns,  and  while 
off  the  ground  they  would  fire,  making  "two  revolutions 
with  the  agility  and  dexterity  of  acrobats.  My  impression 
was  that  these  displays  were  in  honour  of  the  white  man, 
or  it  may  have  been  to  test  the  extent  of  his  generosity. 
When  they  saluted  a  stranger  they  did  not  shake  hands. 
That  custom  seemed  to  be  unknown.  They  clapped  their 
hands  instead,  which  was  likewise  a  sign  for  thanks. 

Weapons  and  implements  such  as  assegais,  arrows  and 
bows  were  formed  on  Nature's  crude  anvil.    The  bows  are  of 


LOOKING    OUT  FOR   JOHN.  231 

a  heart  shape,  very  heavy,  and  made  of  good  iron,  much 
valued  among  the  tribes  in  the  Zambesi  valley. 

These  days  were  the  happiest  I  had  spent  for  a  very  long 
time,  having  almost  perfect  repose.  Whenever  it  could  be 
managed,  I  would  escape  from  the  crowd  of  visitors  and 
saunter  in  solitude  through  the  sinuous  tracks  in  the  rocks, 
until  I  came  upon  some  sequestered  nook  where  I  would  sit 
down  and  occupy  the  passing  hours  by  writing  up  the 
journal,  and  silently  meditating  as  I  looked  upon  the 
tranquil  scene  of  forest  landscape. 

The  serenity  was  delightful.  A  selected  favourite  spot 
was  the  top  of  a  stupendous  boulder,  from  which  a  mag- 
nificent view  could  be  obtained,  stretching  far  over  the 
western  wilderness.  With  the  aid  of  the  telescope  I  could 
see  any  object  of  the  size  of  man  which  might  appear  in 
an  opening  of  the  forest,  for  the  path  led  out  to  a  clear  spot 
beneath  my  "  look  out."  Here  I  watched  for  John,  for  it 
was  now  a  week  since  we  had  left  him  and  the  party. 

Sagwam  had  gone,  but  no  word  from  him  had  yet  arrived. 
What  had  befallen  them  that  they  should  be  so  long? 
Would  I  again  have  to  go  over  all  that  weary  road  to  settle 
matters  with  the  discontented  Chibero  men  in  the  same 
way  as  I  had  to  do  with  the  Unyamwenda  ?  A  day  or  two 
of  delay  must  decide  the  question. 

Every  evening  I  watched  the  daylight  dying,  and  bade 
an  anxious  farewell  to  the  sun  as  it  sunk  beyond  the 
landscape,  and  bathed  with  glowing  shades  the  wilder- 
ness of  vegetation.  But  darkness  fell,  and  hopes  for 
another  day  were  crushed.  Ah !  those  sunsets.  What 
reveries,  what  hopes,  what  fears  filled  my  mind  as  I  gazed 
upon  them  in  solitude  from  the  recesses  of  those  highland 
rocks !  I  had  been  thwarted  on  all  sides,  although  I  was 
always  ahead  endeavouring  with  might  and  main  to  get  on. 


232  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

Now  the  question  seemed  to  be,  seeing  that  I  had  left  my 
party  behind,  Shall  I  ever  see  them  again  ?  and  if  so.  How 
many  will  there  be  ?  How  philosophic  we  should  become 
under  this  system  of  cogitation,  in  which  patience  becomes 
a  second  nature  as  annoyance  finds  no  home  in  the  mind ! 

After  these  periods  of  reflection  I  would  return  to  camp, 
and  wile  away  the  evenings  by  eating  nuts,  and  listening 
to  Karemba  playing  upon  his  piano,  with  variations  of 
begging  from  old  Sandani,  who  never  left  me  except  upon 
urgent  occasions. 

During  the  daytime  I  had  to  give  constant  exhibitions 
of  shooting,  varied  by  feat-like  tricks  of  different  kinds, 
which  aroused  and  sustained  a  regular  flow  of  merriment. 

One  man,  whether  sent  by  the  chief  or  not  I  could  not 
say,  was  in  constant  attendance  with  his  piano,  set  inside  a 
hollow  calabash,  which  wonderfully  improved  the  resonance 
of  the  instrument.  The  calabash  was  decorated  with  dry 
shells  of  fruit  and  various  chips  of  hard  substances,  which 
gave  a  sharp  rattling  accompaniment.  This  fellow  would 
dance  and  over  and  over  again  repeat  the  strange  native 
melody,  which  was  grievously  jerky  in  its  modulations.  His 
position  was  directly  in  front  of  me.  There  he  remained, 
stamping  upon  the  ground,  and  with  spasmodic  energy 
advancing  and  retiring. 

By  this  time  I  was  beginning  to  feel  thoroughly  uneasy 
about  John,  and  had  fully  made  up  my  mind  to  start  in 
search  of  him  on  the  following  day ;  for  I  had  cobbled 
my  old  shoes  of  zebra-skin  until  they  were  strong,  and, 
although  yet  a  trifle  bottle-nosed,  my  feet  were  also  better. 
Anxiety  was  certainly  not  allayed  by  Karemba's  doleful 
shaking  of  the  head  as  he  remarked  that  John  wanted  to 
go  back  to  Buluwayo. 

The  people  of  this  district,  although  belonging  to  the 


NATIVE   aVNPOWDER.  233 

Makorikori  tribe,  were  in  no  way  connected  with  the  few  of 
the  same  name  whom  we  had  encountered  at  Chuzu's. 
Like  the  Mashona  they  live  in  detached  bodies.  One  chief, 
however,  sometimes  ruled  over  a  number  of  towns.  Chi- 
babura  is  the  enduna  of  Negomo,  whose  chief  town,  as  I 
said  before,  lay  to  the  east  of  our  position. 

Negomo  had  immediately  been  informed  of  my  arrival, 
and  Karemba  said  he  would  be  sure  to  come  over,  although 
I  earnestly  prayed  that  he  would  not,  knowing  tliat  his 
appearance  would  mean  a  heavy  call  on  the  bank. 

Four  men  came  into  the  skerm  to  sell  gold.  Judging 
from  their  costume  they  were  evidently  hunters.  They 
wanted  powder  for  the  gold.  I  think  their  desire  was 
to  find  out  whether  I  had  powder  suitable  for  their  muskets. 
I  asked  them  to  show  me  the  kind  of  powder  they  had. 
They  said  they  made  it  themselves,  and  I  offered  to  give 
them  some  of  mine  in  exchange  for  some  of  theirs,  as  I  had 
a  curiosity  to  see  what  kind  of  stuff  they  used.  On  ex- 
amination I  found  it  to  be  very  similar  to  a  powder  I  had 
seen  made  by  the  Mexicans.  Taking  the  efflorescence  of 
saltpetre  they  mix  it  with  the  charcoal  made  from  the  bark 
of  the  mufati  tree  :  it  is  baked  in  an  earthen  pot  for  five 
or  six  hours,  until  caked,  after  which  it  is  finely  pulverised, 
and  exposed  for  some  time  to  the  sun's  rays.  The  powder 
burns  very  slowly,  and  its  explosive  force  is  insignificant 
compared  with  the  strength  of  ours. 

I  hardly  know  who  was  the  first  to  teach  these  people 
how  to  manufacture  this  mighty  agent  of  the  chase  and  of 
warfare.  Perhaps  the  earliest  knowledge  arose  among  people 
who  had  been  the  slaves  of  the  Portuguese,  or  from  those 
who  had  some  connection  with  slave  caravans  belonjrinfr  to 
the  east  coast. 

I  had  become  so  used  to  evening  musings,  that  whenever 


234  THE  FAR  INTEBIOB. 

the  sun  reached  the  well-known  downward  point  I  would 
gladly,  with  lithe  steps  and  a  light  heart,  hurry  off  to  one 
of  the  favourite  retreats.  At  such  times  I  was  as  lively  as 
anyone  could  be  when  going  to  witness  some  remarkable 
novelty  or  some  grand  spectacle  in  the  artificial  institutions 
of  civilized  life.  I  would  talk  to  myself,  all  the  time 
whittling  a  piece  of  wood  like  a  thoroughbred  "  down- 
easter"  from  the  state  of  Maine.  Again  and  again  in 
lightning  thoughts  I  would  re-enact  the  moments  of  excite- 
ment passed  in  bygone  days. 

Upon  that  evening  I  thought  of  our  retreat  from  Chuzu's. 
Even  now  the  memory  of  that  night,  and  the  weary  days 
which  followed,  arises  vividly  in  my  mind.  It  was  a  strange 
aflEair.  The  vindictive  and  suspicious  monarch  must  have 
thought  me  very  ambitious  if  he  imagined  that  I  wanted  his 
barren  land  of  rocks.  How  I  would  have  liked  to  have  seen 
his  face  next  morning  when  he  found  that  the  bird  had 
flown  !  Worse  than  all,  too,  that  the  valuables  had  also  dis- 
appeared !  Those  crotchety  Mashona  folk  had  given  trouble 
during  the  forced  retreat.  They  would  insist  upon  halting 
and  making  fires,  which  I  was  equally  determined  they 
should  not  do ;  no  sooner  did  they  fan  the  dry  dung  and 
grass  into  a  flame  than  I  would  put  it  out.  Sometimes,  when 
they  thought  it  for  their  own  good,  they  would  hurry  on,  but 
after  crossing  the  river  they  had  stopped  and  said :  "  What 
would  the  white  man  do  if  we  were  to  leave  him  and  all  his 
things  now  ?  " 

I  remember  that  the  chief  at  Igova  was  indignant  when 
he  heard  of  my  treatment  by  Chuzu. 

On  our  return  to  the  Waynge  river  (where  I  had  walked 
miles  ahead  of  the  party),  I  was  very  familiar  with  the 
features  of  the  old  landscape  hemming  in  the  river  with 
rugged  masses  of  towering   cliff  and   half-tumbling  crag, 


AN  EVENTFUL   BETROSPECT.  235 

through  which  the  waters,  in  a  crystal  stream,  went  merrily 
on,  dancing,  glancing,  and  singing  on  its  course.  The 
silent  pool,  too,  I  remember,  as  a  mirror  which  on  many 
occasions  gave  a  reflection  of  a  wild-looking  man  with  a 
rough-like  beard  and  tattered  clothes. 

Then  there  was  the  old  camp,  the  arena  of  excited  and 
feverish  actions.  The  deserted  spot  had  been  swept  com- 
pletely by  fierce  flames  of  fire  since  we  had  gone,  and  around 
it  blackened  embers  and  bones  were  strewn  by  the  cheerless 
wind,  until  it  reminded  one  of  a  deserted  abode  of  wild 
beasts  rather  than  a  habitation  of  human  beings. 

What  a  start  I  got  there !  Awful  sounds,  indescribable 
perhaps,  but  something  between  a  bark  and  a  cry,  came 
from  a  cave  within  a  few  yards  of  where  I  was.  Breath- 
less with  curiosity,  I  went  up  to  the  place,  and  there  found 
an  old  baboon,  whose  vocalisation  had  been  the  cause  of 
the  start ;  but  on  my  appearance  the  screeching  creature 
darted  quickly  off,  stricken  with  fright. 

Then  after  the  severe  fifty  miles  had  been  retraced  there 
was  the  wildly  exciting  eland  hunt  on  the  Etsatse  river, 
when  the  victims  to  our  rifles  fell  just  as  the  last  rays  of 
sunlight  flashed  out  from  the  west. 

Thoughts  such  as  these  recalled  the  chief  events  of  the 
journey.  They  do  so  distinctly  even  now  as  I  write  after  a 
longer  lapse  of  time.  I  traverse  the  old  ground  again, 
grapple  once  more  with  old  difficulties,  and  almost  revive 
the  old  relief  that  was  felt  about  troubles  overcome,  finding 
in  the  whole  retrospect  a  meditation  that  is  not  without  its 
generous  gift  of  pleasure. 


236  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Inyota's  Tranquil  Land. 

Camp  fires  in  the  distance — Eeappearance  of  John — His  miserable  looks — 
Sandani  is  gratified — Camp  before  Inyota — Karemba's  eccentricities — • 
John's  troubles — Kaffir  ingratitude — The  Bushman  lost — A  vain  search 
— ^My  terrified  companion — The  numerous  wives  of  Sandani — The 
"  oracle  "  sings  the  praises  of  the  white  man — Chibabura's  reception — 
A  palaver — Wonders  of  the  mirror — Physicing  the  crowd — Settling 
Sandani's  claims — The  Eock  of  Wisdom — Chibabura's  town — Native 
workmanship  —  Bark  blankets  —  Pottery  —  A  favoured  land  and 
people  —  Makorikori  songs  —  Character  of  the  people  —  Customs — 
Knowledge  of  agriculture — Contentment — Freedom  from  crime — Their 
life  compared  with  civilised  poverty — 'A  peaceful  scene — Oh,  happy 
and  favoured  Inyota ! 

Peering  into  the  darkness,  for  some  time,  I  thought  I 
could  discern  far  away  the  flames  of  what  might  be  large 
camp  fires.  The  distance  was  so  great,  however,  that  even 
with  the  telescope  I  could  not  be  sure  of  the  sight.  But 
the  sign  gave  me  a  ray  of  hope.  By  noon  next  day  John 
might  appear. 

When  I  returned  I  found  that  our  small  camp  was  gar- 
nished with  the  beef  of  the  ox  which  the  king  had  sent.  It 
was  inadvisable  to  keep  it  longer.  In  passing,  I  may  say 
that  the  breed  of  cattle  is  small,  but  the  beef  is  as  good 
as  any  that  I  have  tasted.  To  me  it  seemed  far  superior 
to  any  antelope  meat. 

The  morning  came  and  passed  without  event.  I  looked 
out  for  John  continuously,  but  he  did  not  appear.  About 
four  o'clock   in   the    afternoon   I  was   watching  Karemba 


REAPPEABANCE   OF  JOHN.  237 

broiling  a  piece  of  steak,  and  turning  it  round  before  the 
fire  with,  his  filthy  fingers,  when  a  thrill  of  excitement 
moved  the  camp  to  activity.  What  could  it  be  that  roused 
this  lazy  band  of  loiterers  ?  My  eyes  did  not  deceive  me — 
John,  by  Jove ! 

Yes,  John  truly !  But  he  looked  like  the  proverbial  shadow 
of  death!  Undoubtedly  something  was  wrong;  but  I  was 
accustomed,  unfortunately,  to  receive  more  tidings  of  evil 
than  of  good.  So  I  welcomed  him  as  heartily  as  possible. 
He  spoke  little  in  reply,  only  murmuring  a  few  words. 

My  intention  was  to  make  a  move  the  moment  the  party 
had  arrived:  I  wanted  to  get  nearer  to  the  king's  town. 
After  John's  appearance  hardly  a  minute  was  lost.  Old 
Sandani  was  longing  for  a  fresh  opportunity  to  roll  out 
sonorous  sentences  which  otherwise  would  have  had  no 
chance  of  being  left  upon  the  sands  of  time ;  but  I  knew 
that  acceding  to  his  persuasive  delay  by  allowing  him  to 
commence  his  harangue  would  mean  that  the  sheet  anchor 
had  been  cast. 

We  proceeded  until  we  reached  a  point  within  a  few 
hundred  yards  of  the  gates  of  Inyota.  Few  events,  no 
matter  how  serious,  have  not  their  ridiculous  side.  Here 
old  Sandani  squinted  at  me  with  a  gleam  of  satisfaction 
inspired  by  the  arrival  of  the  sliop.  The  expression  on  his 
odd  looking  physiognomy,  told,  as  clearly  as  visage  could 
tell,  "You  see  what  I  have  done!  Didn't  I  say  so?" 
Great,  however,  was  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  now 
the  camp  was  moved  to  a  point  where  there  was  every 
reason  to  hope  that  a  new  and  a  well  organised  start  might 
be  effected  with  an  entirely  fresh  set  of  carriers.  And  now 
that  the  loads  were  lightening,  still  fewer  numbers  were 
required. 

The  new  camping  ground  was  a  distinct   improvement 


238  TEE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

upon  the  last :  it  was  more  open,  besides  being  in  close 
proximity  to  the  town. 

The  men  who  had  escorted  John  and  the  valuables  were 
upon  the  eve  of  leaving  for  the  town ;  so  I  deputed  Sandani 
to  go  with  them,  carrying  a  fine  present  for  the  chief. 

Among  the  household  who  were  left,  every  one  of  course 
shirked  most  studiously  anything  approaching  work  of  a 
more  arduous  nature  than  roasting  meat  or  broiling  bones. 
This  they  would  do  ad  libitum. 

Karemba  now  budded  and  flourished  as  a  tremendous 
swell.  He  condescended  to  give  meat  to  his  poor  brothers, 
and  held  long  consultations  with  Sandani.  He  frequently 
smoked  "  ikutu,"  and  acquired  a  specially  affected  cough, 
which  by  vocal  application  became  his  undeniable  and  ex- 
clusive right.  The  cough  might  remind  the  hearer  either  of 
a  steam  whistle  or  the  crowing  of  a  cock ;  but  to  Karemba's 
confreres  it  seemed  to  be  very  comical,  much  hilarity  being 
caused  whenever  his  lordship  deigned  to  agitate  his  breezy 
windpipe.  Above  all,  he  would  order  others  about,  some- 
times showing  a  good  deal  of  sense  and  often  force. 

Sagwam  had  gained  an  air  of  very  fashionable  delicacy, 
and  was  out  and  out  the  fattest  Kaffir  I  had.  He  was 
not  to  be  crowded  at  the  fire,  and  could  only  carry  a  little 
medicine.  His  last  load  was  two  bottles  of  castor  oil,  and 
latterly  the  sight  of  it  was  enough  to  provoke  serious  results 
to  him  without  even  a  taste. 

Old  Sandani  liked  very  much  to  assume  the  coveted 
position  of  being  unburdened.  My  mind,  however,  was 
made  up  that  not  another  of  the  staff  should  be  knighted 
unless  they  would  declare  their  intention  to  follow  me  to 
Tette,  and  accept  payment  on  arriving. 

The  absence  of  the  indispensable  ape  began  to  be  a  source 
of  wonder  here — he  was  not  in  camp. 


TROUBLES    WITH  GIIIBERO   MEN.  239 

After  supper,  Sandani  returned  from  the  chief,  whom  he 
said  would  visit  me  on  the  next  day.  Negomo,  the  king,  he 
said,  would  come  in  a  few  days.  On  another  occasion  the 
former  had  put  off  coming  to  my  camp  at  the  time  he  had 
appointed ;  therefore  I  decided  that  if  he  did  not  appear 
by  noon  on  the  following  day  I  would  go  to  him,  and  try  to 
refresh  his  memory. 

Now  to  John  and  his  troubles.  Calling  him  up,  I  in- 
quired what  had  happened  during  my  absence.  The  poor 
fellow  was  looking  very  ill. 

"Ah,  master,  I  came  veree  bad,  veree  seek,  and  vorce 
tired ! "  He  continued  his  complaint  in  most  lugu- 
brious tones,  relating  the  vicissitudes  through  which  he  had 
passed,  especially  the  hard,  hard  time  he  had  spent  while 
settling  matters  with  the  Chibero  men,  who  seemed  to  have 
kept  up  their  notoriety  for  unreasonableness. 

Ungrateful  for  the  numerous  presents  I  had  given  them, 
they  had  even  refused  to  carry  back  the  fine  eland  head 
which  I  had  taken  so  much  care  to  preserve.  Facts  like 
these,  coupled  with  other  experiences,  however  trifling  they 
may  appear,  prove  conclusively  that  absolute  ingratitude 
is  one  of  the  leading  traits  in  the  KaflSr  mind.  John,  it 
seems,  had  given  these  Chibero  men  two  fathoms  of  white 
calico  and  a  quantity  of  beads.  This  was  far  to  much.  But 
my  troubled  squire  told  me  that  the  people  would  have  been 
fighting  with  him  had  it  not  been  for  the  presence  of  the 
men  I  had  sent  over. 

The  Chibero  people  it  seems  were  very  much  frightened 
by  the  Negomo  men,  and  were  greatly  surprised  at  the 
sudden  appearance  of  such  a  force. 

"  For,  master,"  continued  John,  "  after  you  left,  dose 
Chibero  men  often  say,  '  Oh !  the  white  man  will  be  killed 
by  dese  peoples  :  he  will  never  come  back  here  again  !'  " 


240  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

Their  anger  was  not  allayed  even  by  the  presents  which 
John  gave  them,  and  they  showed  their  annoyance  by 
telling  him  that  when  they  returned  to  the  Hanyane  river, 
they  would  break  open  the  box  which  had  been  left  in  the 
waggon,  and  take  away  all  the  things.  They  would  fight 
with  us,  too,  on  our  return  to  the  waggon. 

"  Empty  words  and  foolish  threats,  John,"  I  said,  "  let 
them  speak ;  they  haven't  the  backbone  to  carry  out  their 
words." 

"  Ah,  master,"  replied  John,  "  but  dese  is  a  bad  people." 

John  was  quite  right.  The  frightful  examples  of 
humanity  had  not  a  redeeming  feature  in  their  evil 
character.  Release  them  from  judicious  restraint  and  you 
let  loose  the  tiger ;  but  its  heart  is  in  the  wrong  place : 
mischief,  not  valour,  is  in  its  breast,  and  its  threatening 
cries  are  vain.  Not  being  a  believer  in  the  existence  of 
totally  consuming  depravity  in  any  human  soul,  I  have 
tried  to  find  some  good  point  to  recommend  the  Chibero, 
but  utter  failure  has  been  the  result, 

John  went  on  with  his  story,  and  his  eyes  were  almost 
tearful.  He  told  how  the  poor  Bushman  was  lost.  I  asked 
if  the  Bushman  had  been  fighting  with  any  of  the  men. 

"  No,"  was  the  answer ;  "  de  day  after  de  master  leave  us, 
I  loose  um  ;  and  I  never  see  um  again." 

Every  rock  in  the  kopjie  beside  the  old  camping-ground 
had  been  searched.  Alas !  the  Bushman  had  disappeared ; 
where,  no  one  could  say.  Probably  not  one  of  the  company 
would  ever  know.     I,  for  one,  never  saw  his  face  again. 

Poor  Windvogel !  Whatever  may  have  been  his  fate,  I 
will  pay  him  a  parting  tribute,  by  saying  that,  although  the 
weight  of  bad  in  his  composition  would  in  all  likelihood 
have  brought  the  moral  scale,  balanced  upon  the  sensitive 
fulcrum  of  human  judgment,  down  with  a  thump,  yet  he 


TEE  BUSHMAN  IS  LOST.  241 

had  little  for  which,  like  a  Briton,  he  could  "thank  his 
stars ! "  From  his  earliest  days  his  surroundings  were  far 
from  conducing  towards  the  birth,  not  to  speak  of  the 
perfecting,  of  moral  excellence;  yet  certainly  his  tiny 
egg-cup-full  of  brains  were  not  devoid  of  some  enlivening 
elements  of  good  nature,  his  face  being  always  radiant 
with  smiles. 

John's  sorrow  about  Windvogel's  disappearance  was  not,  I 
am  afraid,  due  to  any  fear  regarding  what  had  overtaken 
him.  It  was  caused  by  the  thought  that  he  personally  had 
lost  a  piece  of  valuable  movable  property. 

Immediately  after  sunrise  on  the  following  morning  I 
started  on  a  hunting  expedition,  taking  with  me  from  among 
the  bystanders  a  man  who  reported  eland  close  by.  The 
occasion  proved  an  exception  to  the  general  rule,  because 
only  one  man  followed  me.  The  hour  was  too  early  for 
the  others.     It  was  an  exception  too  in  another  way. 

On  descending  the  hill  towards  the  hunting  grounds,  my 
solitary  companion  halted,  and  then,  looking  furtively  back 
towards  the  town,  he  began  to  walk  quickly,  gradually  in- 
creasing his  pace  until  it  became  a  run,  when  he  disappeared 
at  full  speed.  I  could  not  imagine  what  was  the  matter  with 
the  man.  On  returning  to  the  camp  I  found  that  the  boys 
were  highly  amused.  Karemba  said  that  a  man  had  passed, 
saying  during  his  flight,  that  he  was  afraid  of  the  white 
man,  because  he  thought  he  would  kill  him.  I  could  not 
help  thinking  that  I  must  be  growing  very  fierce-looking, 
when  my  aspect  could  instil  so  much  terror  into  simple 
minds. 

Game  was  scarce.  Eland  and  roan  antelope  were  the 
most  plentiful.  The  people  are  constantly  out  hunting  in 
large  parties. 

Sandani,  apparently,  was  growing  great  in  the  eyes  of  the 

VOL.  I.  R 


242  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

household.  Even  John,  who  had  a  well-developed  dislike  for 
anyone  who  in  the  least  degree  resembled  a  Mashona,  said  of 
Sandani :  "He  say  plenty  of  good  things  of  de  master,  and 
Karem  say  he  is  a  beeg  man,  in  dis  contree,  and  has  got  lots 
of  wife!" 

Quite  a  number  of  Sandani's  properties  in  the  shape  of 
growing  girls,  came  and  knelt  before  me,  offering  various 
kinds  of  native  produce ;  the  old  man  all  the  while  looking 
upon  his  live  stock  with  an  expression  of  genuine  pride. 

"  Are  all  these  yours  ?  "  I  asked. 

"Yes,"  was  the  emphatic  answer;  "  mine,  all  mine,  every 
one  of  them !  '* 

Among  the  number  was  one  very  nice  looking  young  girl, 
who  had  her  hair  bedecked  Avith  white  and  red  porcelains  : 
her  necklace  of  plaited  wild-grass  was  studded  here  and 
there  with  a  species  of  white  shell ;  around  her  waist  was  a 
belt  of  beads  of  all  colours.  I  bought  some  wares  from  the 
girls,  and  amused  them  by  showing  my  watch.  As  I  did  so, 
I  pulled  the  girl  I  speak  of  close  up,  so  that  she  might  have 
a  better  chance  of  seeing,  and  was  highly  amused  at  her 
signs  of  alarm. 

As  yet  I  had  been  unable  to  get  the  avaricious  lord  of 
many  wives  to  divulge  the  news  whether  he  would  or  Avould 
not  proceed  with  me  farther. 

About  noon  a  considerable  group  of  men  were  seen 
coming  through  the  wood  on  our  right.  Among  them  was 
Chibabura  the  chief.  Soon  they  were  seated  in  a  circle 
close  to  our  camp. 

After  the  usual  salute  by  the  clapping  of  hands,  I  walked 
over  to  the  select  circle,  and  seated  myself  opposite  the 
chief,  with  the  oracle  Sandani  on  my  left,  and  the  rest  of 
the  household  extending  beyond. 

Softly  the  oracle  began  to  speak,  at  first  in  broken  sentences. 


SANDANl  SINGS  MY  PRAISES.  243 

Then  warming  to  his  work  he  increased  his  volume  of  tone 
and  length  of  expression,  laying  great  emphasis  upon  the 
words  at  the  end  of  each  sentence,  and  all  the  while  shaking 
his  head  more  and  more  as  he  proceeded. 

Thus  he  sang  my  praises.  He  told  how  the  white  man 
had  come  from  afar  across  salt  water ;  and  as  he  narrated 
the  facts  he  kept  up  the  general  custom  of  counting  with 
his  fingers,  at  the  end  of  the  sum  bringing  the  finger 
which  terminated  the  calculation  quickly  to  his  mouth,  and 
throwing  the  hand  forward  in  the  direction  of  the  person 
whom  he  addressed.  This  gave  the  number  of  the  party, 
and  likewise  intimated  how  many  many  moons  I  had  been 
upon  the  journey  from  distant  lands. 

They  were  informed  what  a  wonderful  hunter  the  white 
man  was :  how  he  had  shot  the  running  deer,  and  how  they 
had  eaten  abundantly  of  the  meat  of  the  eland  and  the 
koodoo.  With  the  white  man  all  was  plenty.  He  had 
bought  beer  with  cloth.  He  had  been  treated  badly  by 
Chuzu,  the  great  chief,  upon  the  threshold  of  whose  home  he 
had  trodden  with  a  fearless  step,  although  the  chief  wanted  to 
kill  him.  They  were  told  of  the  long  marches  of  the  party, 
and  how,  when  the  white  man  returned  to  his  own  land,  he 
would  speak  to  his  pale  brothers  of  the  countries  he  had 
seen,  and  how  Chibabura  had  treated  him.  Last,  and  far 
from  least,  the  white  man  had  an  inexhaustible  supply  of 
blankets  and  charms  which  he  had  brought  with  him ;  in 
fact  he  was  a  dry  goods  bank. 

Some  clapping  of  hands,  succeeded  by  a  pause,  followed. 
An  all-round  snuff  was  indulged  in,  and  then  came  the 
chief's  turn  to  speak. 

His  tone  and  words  were  very  friendly.  He  said  that  he 
liked  the  white  man  to  come  and  visit  his  country,  and 
hoped  that  more  would   come   bringing  cloth  and   beads 

It  2 


244  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

with  them.  As  to  journeying  through  his  country,  I  could 
proceed,  and  he  would  give  me  boys  to  take  me  to  Kunyun- 
gwi  (Tette). 

The  last  promise  gave  me  marked  satisfaction.  That,  I 
thought,  would  be  a  stage  farther.  The  goods  still  in 
hand  would  just  be  sufficient  to  buy  food,  and  perhaps 
allow  a  present  to  be  made  to  some  of  the  chiefs.  There 
was  not  enough  left  to  make  payments  in  full  to  more  than 
one  lot  of  carriers,  and  this  would  have  to  be  done  in 
advance  before  leaving  the  spot  where  we  were. 

As  on  other  occasions,  I  went  through  various  rifle  per- 
formances, which  highly  delighted  the  chief,  whose  admira- 
tion was  greatly  excited  by  the  ingenious  construction  of 
the  weapons.  When  he  saw  the  elephant-rifle,  he  was  fairly 
amazed.  I  did  not  show  him  the  white  man's  gods  in  the 
shape  of  watch,  and  so  forth;  but  during  the  afternoon 
entertainment,  a  great  novelty  was  produced — never  before 
exhibited  by  the  company — with  immense  success. 

The  novelty  was  a  looking-glass.  The  astonishment  and 
amusement  it  afforded  were  unbounded.  Now  and  then 
one  of  the  crowd  might  be  found  who  did  not  seem  to  think 
that  the  reflection  of  his  physiognomy  was  altogether 
flattering ;  and  the  glass  would  therefore  be  quickly  handed 
on  to  others.  Some  would  vainly  try  to  get  ahead  of  the 
reflection,  by  making  wild  and  rapidly  changing  contortions 
of  the  face,  only  to  be  sadly  put  out  by  the  discovery 
that  there  was  no  motion  swift  enough  to  defeat  the  glass. 

The  chief  had  a  good  look  at  his  mirrored  face,  and 
smiled  as  though  he  were  tolerably  well  satisfied. 

Handing  the  glass  to  some  of  the  petrified  parties 
who  were  sitting  around,  and  who  might,  judging  from 
appearances,  have  been  dug  out  of  the  strata  of  some  deep 
geological  epoch,  they  examined  their  fearful  and  wonderful 


DYSENTERY.  245 


countenances  in  a  very  scrutinising  fashion,  clearly  bent 
upon  discovering  some  deception.  After  a  careful  examina- 
tion some  of  them  seemed  quite  frightened  at  their  ugliness, 
which  evidently  had  never  before  been  brought  so  forcibly 
under  their  notice. 

Chibabura  suggested  that  I  might  shoot  some  meat, 
so  that  the  boys  whom  he  would  send  with  me  might  be 
able  to  leave  some  for  their  wives  and  families. 

The  chief  was  rather  tall  and  slender  in  figure.  In 
colour  he  was  a  shade  lighter  than  his  confreres,  and  had  an 
expression  that  might  almost  be  called  meek.  The  lips 
were  very  thick,  and  the  white  of  the  eye — as  is  charac- 
teristic of  the  negro — was  blurred  with  streaky  shades  of 
deep  brown. 

John  had  been  out  hunting,  and  it  was  long  after  sunset 
when  he  returned.  He  had  shot  an  eland  cow,  but  reported 
game  to  be  very  scarce. 

At  this  period  the  household  were  nearly  all  sick. 
Dysentery  had  set  in.  So  I  physicked  the  whole  crowd — 
all  in  order — giving  to  the  shamming  ones  a  mighty  dose 
of  the  ever-fateful  podophyllin  powder. 

Sandani  now  divulged  the  intelligence  that  he  could  not 
leave  to  go  on  with  the  white  man  "  much  as  he  loved  him," 
and  so  forth.  The  old  fellow  had  certainly  talked  with  us 
to  such  an  extent  that  he  had  almost  wholly  lost  the  use  of 
his  voice.  His  presence  had  enabled  us  to  reach  a  turning 
point  in  the  fortunes  of  the  expedition,  and  I  really  felt 
very  grateful  to  the  old  man.  As  to  the  question  of  his  not 
coming  with  us,  the  decision  was  not  to  be  wondered  at.  Old 
Sandani  had  far  too  much  to  attend  to,  even  in  relation  to 
his  domestic  affairs.  What  with  his  numerous  family,  and 
a  wife  or  two  at  every  rock  about  the  country,  his  hands 
were  pretty  full ;  especially  as  he  was  always  endeavouring 


246  ■  THE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

to  be  everywhere  at  one  and  the  same  time,  and  had  many 
loves  besides  the  multitude  of  recipients  of  his  lawful 
affection.  His  heart  in  love  affairs  was  of  a  very  elastic 
description. 

Considering  all  this,  I  proceeded  to  cash  his  demands  on 
the  dry-goods  bank,  although  every  strip  I  gave  him  was 
like  parting  with  an  eye-tooth.  John,  who  knew  the  close 
state  of  affairs,  would  now  and  again  give  vent  to  a  gentle 
reminder. 

"  Ouh  !  "  he  would  exclaim  ;  "  he  want  all  de  tings.  And 
de  master  is  geev  um  dat  fine  cloth  what  I  like  to  take  back 
to  my  leetle  wife  !  " 

"  Never  mind,  John,  keep  up  a  light  heart,  there's  plenty 
more  cloth  on  the  Zambesi." 

About  eight  o'clock  on  the  next  morning,  accompanied  by 
Karemba  and  Sandani,  I  climbed  up  to  the  town,  which 
occupies  a  half -hidden  position  on  the  northern  slopes  of 
the  mountains,  amid  a  huge  agglomeration  of  rock  com- 
prising masses  of  granite,  some  rounded  and  showing  a  few 
seams,  but  mostly  jagged,  broken  and  angular.  Overhanging 
boulders  of  gigantic  size  frown  threateningly  above  the  small 
clusters  of  rudely-formed  huts,  which  dot  the  open  spaces 
to  the  north. 

Small  shrubs,  thorny  trees,  creepers,  and  long  tufted 
grass  spring  out  from  the  crevices  in  this  wild  and  natural 
rockery.  Upon  the  bare  spots  which  intervene  are  to  be 
found  the  huts  of  the  artless,  but  contented  and  happy 
inhabitants. 

We  soon  found  ourselves  at  the  "  Kock  of  Wisdom,"  an 
immense  slab  of  hard,  slippery  rock,  polished  doubtless  by  the 
feet  of  many  thousands  of  assemblies ;  for  here  it  is  that  the 
chief  holds  his  court,  and  where  the  pipe  of  peace  is  passed, 
while  the  hoarse  cough  of  the  hemp  smoker  may  be  heard 


CHIBABURA    THE  HEADMAN.  247 

from  dawn  to  sunset.  This  hemp-smoking  produces  a  most 
violent  irritation  of  the  mucous  membrane,  and  the  con- 
tinuance of  the  practice  brings  on  haemorrhage,  ultimately 
causing  death. 

The  chief  invited  us  to  his  hut,  where  beer  made  from 
maize  was  produced.  From  the  numerous  huts  which 
were  dotted  closely  around,  I  could  infer  that  Chibabura 
had  numerous  wives.  The  huts  Avere  irregularly  scattered 
here  and  there,  but  all  in  close  proximity  to  that  of  the 
chief. 

Chibabura  showed  me  what  a  large  stock  of  beads  he 
had,  telling  me  that  the  beads  and  cloth  that  they  had  in 
their  neighbourhood  came  from  the  Zambesi  by  way  of 
Negomo's  town.  He  likewise  stated  that  the  Portuguese 
sent  black  men  out  with  trading  articles  to  buy  gold.  One 
of  these  parties  I  afterwards  met  on  my  journey  northwards. 

Escorted  by  Chibabura  we  all  walked  to  the  "  Eock  of 
Wisdom,"  and  from  that  position  the  chief  pointed  out  the 
direction  in  which  we  were  about  to  travel. 

Our  "  coigne  of  vantage  "  commanded  from  its  altitude  a 
panoramic  view  of  the  whole  of  the  outlying  country.  Ex- 
panding from  left  to  right  lay  a  vast  forest-clad  park,  girded 
upon  every  side  by  towering  precipitous  mountains.  Over 
the  distant  hills  away  to  the  north,  in  the  direction  we  were 
to  travel,  twin  peaks  of  basaltic  rock  spired  heavenward 
in  clearest  grandeur,  like  the  steeples  of  some  gigantic 
structure,  not  fashioned  by  the  hand  of  man,  but  suddenly 
reared  by  some  wild  convulsive  throb  of  puissant  nature. 
Beneath  these  natural  spires  was  situated  the  town  of 
Zingabila,  which  we  were  destined  to  pass. 

Chibabura  assured  me  that  his  boys  would  go  with  me  to 
Kunyungwi. 

There   is  but  little  difference  in  the  people's  mode  of 


248  THE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

living  compared  with  the  Mashona.  The  difference  in  dialect 
also  seems  to  be  slight.  Chibabura's  town  was  exceedingly 
dirty.  The  accumulation  of  years  was  seen  in  the  heaps 
of  rubbish  of  all  descriptions  which  were  strewn  along 
the  winding  streets,  and  covered  the  ground  on  every 
hand. 

The  women  and  children  eagerly  crowded  out  of  their 
huts  to  get  a  view  of  the  white  curiosity  which  had 
appeared.  The  thin  wire  ring  which  they  wore  in  their 
upper  lip  was  by  no  means  ornamental.  It  must  be  un- 
comfortably in  the  way  when  they  are  eating.  Numbers 
of  Mashona  people  could  be  distinguished  among  the 
population. 

Some  of  the  women  made  a  rapid  retreat  into  their  huts 
when  I  approached.  Doubt  and  fear  were  clearly  seen  in 
their  ebony  faces. 

But  the  little  boys  seemed  to  have  the  same  instinctive 
curiosity  which  is  to  be  found  among  white  urchins.  They 
gambolled  about,  and  stalked  and  dodged  me  from  behind 
the  stones  and  huts. 

Groats,  hens,  and  in  some  instances  cows,  find  room  in  the 
huts.  Neither  horses,  pigs,  nor  donkeys  were  to  be  seen. 
The  people  have  no  idea  that  such  animals  exist. 

Their  blankets  are  manufactured  from  bark,  which  is  also 
used  for  string  and  rope  netting  employed  in  the  pursuit  of 
game.  It  has  many  other  purposes,  however,  for  it  is  very 
strong,  and  the  fibre  can  be  used  without  preparation. 

The  pottery  is  of  the  commonest  description,  closely 
resembling  that  which  I  have  seen  in  Mexico  used  for  similar 
purposes.  I  also  observed  numbers  of  troughs  and  other 
vessels  hollowed  out  of  solid  blocks  of  wood.  None  of  the 
examples  of  their  handicraft,  however,  showed  the  existence 
of  taste ;  although  now  and  then  some  rude  attempts  in  the 


"A   FAVOURED   LAND   AND   FEOrLE."  249 


direction  of  decoration  might  be  seen  in  carving  and  in 
brass  wire-work. 

"  A  favoured  land  and  people ! "  was  my  mental  ex- 
clamation, as  we  left  the  town  of  Chibabura.  Ambition  was 
wanting  and  glory  was  unknown.  Contentment,  the  object 
of  most  of  the  aspirations  of  civilised  life,  reigned  supreme 
in  these  heedless  people's  minds.  Through  the  labyrinth 
of  life,  their  path  was  clear,  thoughtless  and  happy. 

Their  time  was  occupied  in  supplying  daily  wants,  in 
herding  their  cattle,  and  in  building  their  huts.  Their 
short-lived  hopes  and  fears  referred  only  to  the  prospects  of 
the  crops  and  the  possibilities  of  attack.  They  seemed 
to  have  no  ideal  god  :  no  thought  nor  hankering  after 
life  immortal.  From  careful  observation  I  might  call 
them,  Primitive  Materialists,  for  they  cannot  conceive  the 
existence  of  a  soul  life,  nor  believe  in  the  maintenance  of 
individuality  after  the  breath  has  passed  away  from  the 
earthly  frame. 

The  dead  are  buried  in  an  upright  position,  the  bodies 
being  wrapped  with  pliable  branches,  and  the  head  near  the 
surface  of  the  earth.  Some  of  the  contiguous  tribes,  I  have 
heard,  bury  their  dead  in  a  sitting  posture,  or  rather  with 
the  body  doubled-up. 

There  is  music  in  their  strange  and  weird-sounding  songs, 
which  they  never  seemed  to  tire  of  singing  to  the  ac- 
companiment of  that  odd-looking  tinkling  instrument, 
resembling  a  block  of  wood  fitted  with  iron  sliding  keys. 
There  is  also  a  peculiar  and  by  no  means  disagreeable 
rhythm  in  the  expression  of  their  long-worded  and  weighty 
speeches. 

Necessity  has  been  the  mother  of  their  invention  of  the 
hoe  for  husbandry,  and  the  assegai  for  defence  or  defiance. 
The  natural  state  of  man  it  is  said  is  a  state  of  indolence. 


250  TEE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

and  in  the  rapid  and  deafening  whirl  of  civilised  life  every- 
body aims  at  the  acquisition  of  relief  from  the  burdens 
of  care,  and  peace  amidst  the  turmoils  of  mankind.  The 
Makorikori  live  and  move  in  this  coveted  simplicity;  and 
in  some  respects  they  are  to  be  envied. 

"  Earth  hath  been  a  peaceful  place ! 
Free  from  folly,  free  from  jars. 
Were  the  simple,  early  race 

That  could  look  upon  the  stars." 

"  What  a  character ! "  Cynical  travellers  might  say, 
"  Where  is  the  redeeming  feature  ?  " 

I  will  allow  that  they  are  an  aggravating  lot,  through 
their  indifference  to  the  lapse  of  time.  But  we  cannot  be 
severe.  Even  the  Government  of  this  exemplary  country 
of  ours  has  let  time  slip  away  quite  as  heedlessly,  when  the 
sacrifice  of  thousands  of  human  lives  was  the  penalty  for 
the  indifference,  and  until  the  appeals  and  remonstrances  of 
the  martyr  Gordon  were  heard  only  from  his  remote  and 
mysterious  grave. 

What  can  the  simple  Makorikori  know  of  the  wide  world 
in  which  he  moves  ?  What  can  he  know  of  the  mental 
greatness  of  cultured  man,  or  the  mighty  influence  and 
meaning  of  the  Christian  faith  ? 

After  all  these  ages  of  his  forefathers'  lives,  he  does  not 
know  how  to  cook  his  food  decently.  He  throws  his  great 
handful  of  meal  into  an  earthen  pot,  until  it  is  too  thick  to 
stir,  and  he  does  not  give  it  time  to  cook :  he  broils  his 
meat,  when  he  can  get  it,  upon  the  embers.  From  an 
English  point  of  view  he  is  a  filthy  creature  and  smells  like 
a  badger.  He  has  no  idea  of  cleanliness ;  for  the  matutinal 
washing  of  face  and  hands  is  necessary  in  order  to  remove 
the  soot  and  smoky  filth  which  has  gathered  about  his  eyes 
during  his  sleep  close  to  the  edge  of  the  fire. 


KAFFIB    CONTENT.  251 

What  can  he  make  ?  His  assegais  and  hatchets  are 
inferior  articles  at  best,  and  it  is  not  every  Kaffir  who  can 
make  these  implements.  The  work  is  in  the  hands  of  the 
tradesman  who  has  inherited  the  tools,  which  have  been 
in  use  for  ages,  without  an  advance  of  skill.  He  displays 
not  the  slightest  sign  of  ingenuity ;  his  iron  is  found  in  a 
particularly  favourable  condition  for  working  ;  his  wire-work 
is  of  a  very  ordinary  character,  being  either  plain  twist, 
three  plait,  or  something  equally  as  simple.  Scratching  the 
fertile  earth  is  his  only  knowledge  of  agriculture. 

His  habitation  in  the  rocks  is  not  half  as  neat  as  the 
nest  of  the  most  careless  of  birds.  He  devours  nuts,  roots, 
and  fruits  like  his  brother  the  ape,  the  only  superiority  over 
his  relative  being  that  he  has  learned  how  to  use  fire  in 
order  to  weld  iron  and  to  cook,  or  rather  heat,  his  food.  He 
is  as  easily  amused  as  a  child.  In  a  human  sense  his  life 
is  a  failure ;  he  has  no  ideal ;  he  is  akin  to  the  brutes  of 
the  field  and  the  forest. 

Against  all  these  features  we  must  remember,  while 
admitting  his  backward  state,  how  slow  is  the  tide  of 
progress  where  adversity  has  never  been  known. 

Above  everything,  their  contentment — a  feeling  quite 
unknown  in  civilised  brains — is  great !  Of  course  I  refer 
to  this  particular  people,  and  not  to  all  of  the  dark  denizens 
of  Africa. 

I  say  that  the  progress  of  the  Makorikori  is  nowhere,  but 
contentment  is  seen  everywhere.  Where  is  vice  ?  Where 
is  crime  ?  A  domestic  quarrel  is  of  rare  occurrence ;  murders 
are  almost  unknown. 

The  laws  of  the  people  are  evidently  effective  as  they 
stand.  There  are  no  jails.  Murder  is  punished  by  death 
in  some  cases.  The  chiefs,  however,  seldom  kill  their 
people.     Asylums  are  unknown,  for  in  this  country  madmen 


252  TEE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

are  extremely  rare.  With  clubs  and  sticks  the  thief  is 
driven  away  from  his  home  and  from  his  tribe ;  in  short, 
he  is  drummed  out.  Thus,  or  rather  let  me  say,  by  natural 
instinct,  good  behaviour  is  a  typical  distinction  of  the 
people. 

The  traveller  cannot  help  being  impressed  by  the  air  of 
freedom  which  these  primitive  men  and  women  breathe. 
They  have  a  total  want  of  anxiety ;  their  children  are  as 
plump  and  round  as  distended  bladders,  no  matter  whether 
they  are  the  oifspring  of  a  chief  or  of  a  slave.* 

Suppose,  for  the  time  being,  that  the  cultured  blessings 
of  civilisation  give  place  to  matters  material,  how  infinitely 
preferable  does  the  life  of  a  Makorikori  appear  when  com- 
pared with  the  struggle  of  a  poor  man  in  a  crowded  city  of 
Christendom  !  The  children  of  the  latter  are  penned  in 
narrow  slums ;  they  grow  up  stunted  in  body  and  depraved 
in  mind,  and  anon  the  deep  lines  of  care  or  crime  appear 
prematurely  upon  their  youthful  brows. 

The  civilised  poor  man  is  not  half  so  happy  as  the 
untutored  savage,  although  the  latter  lives  far  beyond  the 
sound  of  church  bells.  Can  it  be  that  heathen  freedom 
and  plenty  in  the  wind-swept  wilderness  are  preferable  to 
civilised  starvation  in  the  polluted  atmosphere  of  a  rotten 

hovel  ?     The  subject  is  worthy  of  consideration. 

*  *  *        ■     *  *  *  * 

The  light  of  day  is  becoming  dim.  I  look  upon  the 
peaceful  and  interesting  scene  of  this  sequestered  retreat  of 
the  aborigine.  Excepting  the  careless  hand  of  chance,  no 
influence  has  changed  the  even  routine  of  the  people's  lives 
for  generations  past. 

The  naked   herd-boys,   with   spears   and  "kerries,"  are 

*  I  have,  however,  seen  children  from  Mashona  villages,  after  a 
Matabeli  raid,  so  thin  as  to  remind  one  of  living  skeletons. 


FAREWELL    TO   INYOTA.  253 

driving  the  crowding  cattle,  which  emerge  from  the  gloom 
of  the  forest,  into  the  rolling  meadow  beneath,  and  up  the 
steep  ascent  towards  the  town.  Long  lines  of  women-folk 
are  carrying  in  the  produce  of  the  gardens ;  happy  children 
romp  about,  with  a  thick  coating  of  dust  upon  their  tiny 
but  plump  bodies,  which  makes  them  look  like  animated 
pods  of  clay.  Slowly,  and  with  a  wearied  gait,  far  behind 
the  rest,  older  women  follow,  their  shnmk  and  feeble  forms 
denoting  that  their  sun  has  nearly  set.  They  still  strain, 
however,  under  heavy  loads  of  wood,  their  bodies  covered 
with  dust,  and  their  ancient  noses  coloured  with  snuff. 

One  by  one  the  crowd  enter  the  narrow  portals,  and  soon 
all  are  within  the  rock-girt  citadel.  No  sound  is  heard  save 
the  lowing  of  the  cattle,  varied  sometimes  by  the  merry 
ripple  of  careless  voices,  and  even  these  die  away  with  the 
fading  light. 

Oh,  happy  and  favoured  Inyota !  Long  may  the  gentle 
winds  of  peace  and  freedom  caress  your  mountain  home ! 

Darkness  quietly  steals  over  the  scene.  Once  more  the 
town  is  hushed  in  sleep.  The  short  day  is  again  spent,  and 
is  a  cypher  in  the  illimitable  numbers  of  the  past.  Soothed 
by  the  silence  of  the  surroundings  I  sink  to  rest.  Before 
the  morning  dawns  we  must  be  up  and  away,  bidding  a  long 
farewell  to  Inyota's  tranquil  land. 


254  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

AMONG   THE   MAKORIKORI  PEOPLE. 

Tedious  marchin'j: — Magorabegombe  mountains — John  is  "  varee  seek  " — 
Our  comical  goat — Baboons — Lubola  mountains — Zingabila — Mode  of 
making  bark  blankets — M'jela,  the  chief — Kunyungwi  still  far  off — 
Desertions — Method  of  securing  an  ox — Difficulty  in  getting  boys — 
Presents  from  M'jela — Umfana's  eating  powers — The  Dorah  river — 
Camping  places  selected  by  natives — A  lioness  in  the  way — Lost 
chances  of  a  shot — John's  lion  experiences — A  fearful  position — A 
wild  forest  scene — Hovering  vultures — Adventure  with  a  lioness — 
Native  scramble  for  the  lion's  prey — Happy  natives — The  Mutiia 
river — The  Ruiana  river — The  Makomwe  mountains — An  amusing 
old  fossil — Long  fasting — poor  diet — The  "dry  goods  bank"  nearly 
empty — "How  many  moon's  is  dat  since  we  leave  Buluwayo?" — 
Miseries  of  travel — Native  houses — The  "  Three  Brothers  " — The  great 
basin  of  the  Zambesi — Tropical  forests. 

A  SILENT  and  lovely  evening  followed  one  of  the  hottest 
days  which  had  been  experienced  during  our  long  journey. 
Now  the  party  was  somewhat  weary,  for  the  march  had 
been  long  and  tedious.  The  many  miles  we  had  covered 
had  carried  us  through  tracts  of  marshy  country,  the  deep 
black  soil  being  intersected  by  numerous  muddy  rivulets. 
We  had  crossed  the  Ruia  river,  beside  the  headwaters  of 
which  we  had  encamped  during  the  eventful  journey  to 
Chuzu's. 

We  were  now  holding  upon  a  more  easterly  course. 
Chuzu's  inhospitable  country  would,  therefore,  be  left  far 
to  the  south-west.  We  had  to  cross  streams  which  had 
swollen  to  the  proportions  of  goodly-sized  rivers,  and  remem- 
bered that  we  had  seen  their  original  waters  trickling  in 


TEE  MAGOMBEQOMBE   MOUNTAINS.  255 

tiny  rills  in  their  rough  and  rocky  birthplaces  on  the  slopes 
of  the  Umvukwe  mountains. 

Our  first  camp  was  pitched  in  a  cosy  spot  under  the 
frowning  shades  of  the  Magombegombe  mountuins,  consisting 
of  gigantic  rocks,  which  were  as  bare  of  verdure  as  blocks  of 
well-hewn  stone,  and  whose  yawning,  cavernous  gaps  had 
for  ages  been  the  trumpets  of  the  storm,  shrieking  aloud  or 
groaning  dismally  through  the  riven  nooks. 

Where,  oh  where !  was  that  much  longed-for  Zambesi  ? 
I  was  beginning  to  think  that  it  was  a  mirage  of  the  map- 
makers.  The  fact  was  clear  that  my  party  A\ould  soon 
break  up.  There  was  but  one  course  left  for  me,  and  that 
was  to  press  on  with  all  possible  speed.  The  aspect  of 
affairs  was  daily  becoming  more  serious. 

John's  conversation  was  far  from  being  inspiriting. 

"  Master,  I  am  varee  seek.  I  feel  all  de  life  "  [he  meant 
his  body],  "  and  dese  peoples  say  that  dey  don't  go  to  the 
rafeer.  De  town  is  long  way  dis  side !  Den  I  tink  of  my 
wife.  My  Gaut,  I  tink  there  is  wanting  in  de  house  at  home 
now !     My  heart  is  varee  sore  dis  night." 

"  John,  John ! "  I  exclaimed,  knowing  his  weak  point ; 
"  elephants  ahead,  my  boy.    Never  mind  to-day — onwards  ! " 

This  chat  occurred  upon  one  of  those  nights  when  I  had 
to  cheer  the  man  in  his  despondency.  But  now  he  proved 
to  be  inconsolable ;  therefore  I  told  him  that  if  he  would 
go  to  the  town  to  which  our  new  guides  would  take  us,  he 
might  afterwards  return  homewards.  I  would  not  ask  him 
to  go  any  farther ;  I  would  try  and  get  Karemba  to  go  with 
me.     After  this  declaration  I  retired  to  my  blankets. 

When  attempting  to  find  repose,  I  found  the  old  goat  in 
an  uncomfortably  playful  mood.  It  is  curious  what  a  lot 
of  amusement  may  be  found  in  observing  the  antics  even  of 
a  goat,  especially  of  such  a  truly  comical  one  as  ours.     It 


256  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

had  evidently  a  very  hard  day  of  it ;  stealing  the  bunches 
of  corn  which  the  Inyota  had  hung  upon  their  spears,  and 
being  chased  around  the  camp  in  a  very  lively  manner  by 
the  owners.  Our  goat  was  an  inveterate  thief,  and  a  won- 
derfully advanced  animal  of  its  kind.  It  was  so  tame  that 
it  became  a  nuisance,  for  its  nose  was  never  out  of  such 
pots  and  pans  as  we  possessed,  in  spite  of  frequent  singeing 
and  burning.  One  of  its  tricks  was  to  upset  the  baskets  of 
rice,  and  run  off  with  as  much  as  it  could. 

But  we  were  near  the  tsetse-fly  country  then,  so  that  we 
should  soon  have  to  bury  the  poor  old  goat ;  and,  perhaps, 
pome  others  of  the  party,  judging  from  the  general  expres- 
sion in  the  features  of  the  followers.  One,  especially,  com- 
plained that  his  throat  was  swelling.  There  are  times  when 
one  feels  for  men  who  struggle  hard  a  sympathy  as  warm 
as  though  they  were  near  of  kin  ;  but  the  indolent  and 
the  discontented  are  repelled  with  a  heart  colder  than  the 
drifting  snow. 

A  chilly  morning  with  a  heavy  dew  awaited  us  after  our 
night's  repose.  All  the  vegetation  was  wet,  so  that  our 
legs  were  soon  drenched  to  the  knees ;  luckily  no  farther, 
because  the  grass  was  not  long  enough. 

As  we  passed  through  the  forest,  or  over  winding,  grassy 
belts,  which  run  in  and  out  between  the  sugar-loaf  monu- 
ments of  rock,  and,  at  short  intervals  where  vegetation  is 
more  abundant,  amid  rocky  grottoes,  we  saw  and  heard 
numerous  baboons  {CynocepJialus  porcarius),  whose  strange 
bark  echoed  and  re-echoed  as  if  they  were  inviting  us  to 
pay  them  a  visit. 

Upon  one  evening  during  our  march  I  had  watched  a 
family  of  these  creatures  as  they  went  to  drink  in  regular 
lines,  one  before  the  other.  Through  the  grass  they  had 
regularly  beaten  tracks  to  their  drinking   fountains,   and 


MAKING  BARK  BLANKETS.  257 

back  to  their  town  sites,  high  up,  encircled  by  rocks  and 
small  trees. 

Moving  along  the  foot-hills  of  this  riven  region  of  old 
volcanic  forms,  we  gradually  ascended  until  we  reached 
the  backbone  of  a  high  ridge,  running  in  an  easterly 
direction,  and  called  Lubola  mountains.  Towards  the 
west  the  great  rock,  which  crowns  the  Barre  mountain, 
was  clearly  visible.  This  we  had  first  observed  when  we 
were  upon  the  Umvukwe  range.  This  igneous  region  is  very 
striking.  We  passed  a  spot  where  the  natives  had  evidently 
been  reducing  iron  ore,  for  there  were  large  heaps  of  slag 
from  the  furnace.  But  although  I  hunted  diligently  for 
the  kiln,  it  could  not  be  discovered.  The  iron  ore  had 
been  brought  from  the  neighbourhood  of  Negomo,  near  the 
Amazoe  river. 

Changing  direction  towards  the  east,  we  soon  distin- 
guished the  twin  peaks  which  had  been  seen  from  Inyolik 
We  moved  rapidly  on,  and  shortly  descended  into  a  deep 
gorge,  through  which  we  passed  to  emerge  upon  a  small 
plain  clothed  with  a  growth  of  low  forest,  and  encircled  by 
a  slightly  elevated  chain  of  pointed  mountains. 

Here  we  halted,  our  position  being  close  to  the  town 
which  boasts  of  the  peculiarly  musical  name  of  Zingabila. 

As  we  approached  the  place,  I  had  an  opportunity  of 
seeing  the  modus  operandi  of  an  important  native  industry. 
Bark  blankets  were  being  made  close  to  our  camp.  Two 
boys  had  felled  a  tree,  the  bark  of  which  they  cut  round 
about  eight  feet  above  the  root.  They  then  commenced  to 
peel  off  the  bark  by  means  of  two  wooden  adzes,  removing 
it  much  in  the  same  way  as  we  would  take  off  a  long 
stocking,  which  is  turned  inside  out  during  the  operation, 
thus  forming  as  it  were  a  seamless  kilt.  The  splitting  down 
the  sides  is  a  subsequent  piece  of  work.     Considering  the 

VOL.  1.  s 


258 


THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 


diligent  manner   in  which  they  worked,  the   boys   would 
certainly  be  able  to  turn  out  two  or  three  blankets  a  day. 

The  stripping  must  be  done  while  the  tree  is  fresh.  If 
it  is  allowed  to  lay  even  for  a  very  short  time  the  bark 
becomes  too  hard.  After  being  taken  oiF  the  tree,  the  bark 
is  soaked,  until  the  outer  and  harder  surface  is  removed, 
leaving  a  blanket  of  wood-bark  fibre  of  great  durability; 


MAKING   BARK    BLANKETS. 


but  I  cannot  say  of  extraordinary  warmth.     The  women  use 
these  blankets  as  waist  cloths. 

Thfi  Zingabila  people  had  seen  us  coming,  and  it  was 
clearly  apparent  that  our  appearance  had  caused  great 
excitement.  They  ran  in  every  direction.  To  avoid  any 
disagreeable  event,  and  without  losing  time,  I  sent  a 
message  to  the  chief,  to  the  effect  that  I  would  visit  him, 
and  bring  him  a  present. 


MJELA    THE   CHIEF.  259 

On  the  route  we  found  the  spoor  of  the  rhinoceros,  eland, 
and  lion;  but  on  the  whole  game  was  far  from  being 
abundant. 

When  going  to  the  chief,  I  took  with  me  the  Matabeli 
boy,  who  was  bright  and  intelligent,  and  even  aspired  to 
the  position  of  our  friend  Sandani.  I  found  it  an  easier  task 
to  make  him  understand  me  than  the  others.  On  such 
occasions  John  was  not  good  at  interpreting,  saying  that 
he  could  not  well  comprehend  the  Mashona  tongue. 

We  were  well  received  by  a  middle-aged  man  of  moderate 
height,  and  of  a  type  similar  to  Chibabura,  whom  we  had 
lately  left.  The  resemblance  was  so  marked,  that  I  need 
not  tire  the  reader  with  a  new  description. 

His  town  was  literally,  as  I  had  been  told,  placed  under 
the  two  great  peaks ;  for  just  where  we  stood  addressing 
the  chief  Mjela,  their  basaltic  forms — needle-like — tapered 
their  points  hundreds  of  feet  above  the  group  of  dwellings. 

The  inhabitants,  who  pushed  and  eagerly  crowded 
forward  to  see  me,  said  that  they  had  never  seen  a  white 
man  before. 

Much  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  bystanders,  I  presented 
to  the  chief,  through  Umfana,  a  fine  coloured  blanket, 
of  a  yellow  and  red  pattern,  in  alternate  squares.  It  was 
very  amusing  to  see  the  gratification  he  evinced  when  he 
received  this  present.  He  made  one  of  his  slaves  stand  on 
a  rock  in  front  and  hold  the  blanket  before  him,  stretched 
from  hand  to  hand,  so  that  we  had  an  exhibition  of  a  square 
curtain,  with  a  black  knob  topping  over  the  centre. 

Mjela  seemed  to  be  a  pretty  good  sort  of  fellow.  I  put 
a  few  questions  to  him  about  the  distance  between  his  town 
and  Tette,  or  Kunyungwi,  as  these  natives  termed  it. 

He  proceeded  to  describe  a  town  which  lay  upon  tliis 
side  of  the  river.     He  had  not  been  to  Kunyungwi,  but 

s  2 


260  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

knew  that  it  was  very  far  away,  pointing  vaguely  towards 
the  east,  in  such  a  manner  that  we  might  be  directed  even 
beyond  the  rising  sun. 

According  to  his  statements  the  town  which  lay  ahead, 
away  down  in  the  great  valley  of  the  Zambesi,  was  called 
Chibinga,  and  was  three  days'  journey  from  Zingabila.  At 
Chibinga,  he  remarked,  was  a  man  who  had  bought  gold 
from  him. 

"  Ah ! "  thought  I, "  he  must  be  Portuguese.  We  will  soon 
be  at  the  river,  although  still  very  far  from  Tette." 

Mjela  began  to  talk  with  great  volubility,  saying  that  he 
had  been  badly  treated  by  the  Chibinga  people,  whom  he 
called  Mzungo  (white).  He  said  that  they  had  promised  him 
rifles  for  gold,  and  when  in  good  faith  he  had  sent  the  gold, 
they  had  only  sent  him  some  cloth.  The  bearers  of  the 
cloth,  therefore,  he  had  kept  as  hostages,  or  rather  prisoners, 
and  would  not  release  them  until  the  promised  rifles  were 
sent.    All  this  he  wished  me  to  say  when  I  got  to  Chibinga. 

I  asked  him  if  the  people  were  white.  His  reply  was, 
that  they  were  not  like  me,  but  they  called  them  Mzungo. 
Then  he  continued,  at  intervals,  to  count  with  his  fingers, 
showing  me,  with  three  extended,  the  others  closed,  how 
long  it  would  take  to  reach  Chibinga. 

At  that  time  I  thought,  according  to  a  hasty  reckoning, 
which  afterwards  turned  out  to  be  correct,  that  we  were  still 
over  seventy-three  miles,  in  a  straight  line,  from  the  river. 
Without  including  the  natural  deviations  of  travelling,  this 
distance  would  mean  twenty-four  miles'  journey  every  day. 
These  men  of  mine  could  ^ot  do  the  distance  in  less  than  a 
week.  Then  I  asked  I-ow  long  it  would  take  to  reach 
Kunyungwi  by  water.     Could  I  get  canoes,  &c,  ? 

The  chief  replied  that  Kunyungwi  was  on  the  other  side 
of  the  water,  and  that  we  should  have  to  go  eight  days  on 


BIRD  LIFE.  261 


the  river.  From  that  assertion,  I  could  see  plainly  that 
this  worthy  knew  nothing  about  Tette.  Notwithstanding 
this,  however,  I  bargained  with  liim  to  let  me  have  the  boys 
I  required,  as  I  anticipated  desertion. 

In  return,  he  asked  me  how  far  it  was  to  my  liome.  I 
showed,  by  counting  on  my  fingers,  that  it  was  ten  full 
moons  distant,  a  statement  which  called  fortli  the  loudest 
exclamations  of  astonishment,  at  what  was  to  them  an  in- 
calculable distance. 

After  rather  a  long  conversation,  much  clapping  of  hands 
took  place.  I  found,  on  my  return  to  camp,  that  the  chief 
had  sent  me  a  present  of  a  goat. 

I  related  to  John  the  result  of  the  interview,  trying  to  malce 
the  distance  look  as  short  as  possible.  On  being  informed 
that  we  would  have  to  canoe  on  the  river,  he  said : 

"  Master,  I  don't  go  on  de  water.     I  frightened  for  dat !  " 

I  saw  immense  numbers  of  the  large  crow  with  white 
collar,  and  some  very  pretty  birds.  The  specimens  I  took 
were  destroyed,  so  that,  unfortunately,  I  am  unable  to  classify 
them.  Numbers  of  spoonbills  and  jays  were  seen,  also  shaft- 
tailed  whydah  birds  breasting  and  fighting  the  wind. 

A  delay  of  several  days  occurred,  owing  to  the  desertion 
of  seven  boys  who  had  been  enlisted,  in  addition  to  those 
who  were  given  me  by  Chibabura  of  Inyota.  Desertion 
caused  frequent  trips  to  the  town.  During  my  last  visit  I 
had  sat  for  hours  awaiting  the  boys  whom  the  chief  had 
promised.  My  diversion,  while  wearily  waiting,  was  watch- 
ing the  manner  in  which  the  people  secured  an  ox.  Two 
men,  one  on  each  side,  held  the  beast,  while  another  pierced 
the  partition  of  the  nose  with  an  iron  needle,  about  eighteen 
inches  long,,  threading  a  thin  rope  of  bark  through  the 
nostrils.     Thus  secured  the  animal  was  led  down  with  me, 


262  TEE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

accompanied  by  the  chief,  to  the  camp,  where,  over  an 
earthen  jar  of  beer,  M'jela  talked  himself  to  utter  fatigue. 

He  said  that  our  old  enemy  Chuzu  had  many  people, 
and  was  a  very  bad  man.  But  he  was  a  powerful  chief. 
Mjela  was  not  at  all  surprised  at  the  way  we  had  been 
treated.  Had  we  stayed  much  longer,  he  said,  we  should 
certainly  have  been  killed. 

Beer  was  brought  to  the  camp  in  large  quantities  by  the 
women.  Very  reluctantly  I  bought  it  for  the  boys,  giving 
away  the  last  piece  of  white  calico  I  had.  Therefore  I  was 
compelled  to  stand  and  deliver  some  of  our  few  remaining 
pieces  of  striped  cloth. 

The  night  was  exceptionally  cold,  the  camp  lying  low  in 
the  valley.  At  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  thermometer 
registered  42°  Fahrenheit.  The  elevation  was  3425  feet. 
At  the  same  hour  the  most  intense  cold  I  have  observed, 
in  Mashona-land,  was  35°. 

The  party  was  despatched  on  the  route  as  soon  as  possible. 
I  knew  the  lying  proclivities  of  the  chiefs,  and  did  not 
expect  the  boys  he  promised  early,  or  until  I  had  actually 
gone  personally  to  the  town,  and  ferreted  out  the  contingent. 

John  was  far  from  being  pleased  at  starting  without  me ; 
but  oflf  he  went,  leaving  behind  three  loads,  and  the  ox 
which  the  chief  had  presented.  The  idea  occurred  to  me 
that,  if  all  plans  failed  in  the  effort  to  wrench  boys  from 
amongst  these  stubborn  dwellers  in  the  rocks,  I  would  tie 
the  loads  on  the  back  of  the  ox  and  advance,  an  operation, 
however,  which  might  have  required  greater  powers  of 
persuasion  than  I  possessed. 

The  fact  of  my  not  having  killed  the  animal  on  the  spot 
defeated  the  old  chiefs  purpose.  His  evident  intention 
was  to  keep  me  a  longer  time  in  his  country. 

When  the  party  was  off  I,  taking  with  me  Karemba  and 


A   PICTURESQUE  FIGURE.  263 


Umfana,  repaired  to  the  town  with,  all  haste.  We  found 
the  old  chief  seated,  as  usual,  in  the  calmest  of  attitudes, 
"  sunning  "  himself  upon  a  rock. 

A  picturesque  looking  figure  was  old  Mjela's.  The 
finely-decorated  battle-axe,  which  he  always  carried,  had  a 
hard  wood  handle  wrapped  with  a  profusion  of  brass  wire 
plaiting,  besides  which  he  had  two  very  fine  large  knives. 
Asking  him  for  what  purpose  he  required  so  much  knife 
power,  he  assumed  a  warlike  pose  and  made  a  few  passes, 
which  he  intended  to  have  the  effect  of  showing  that 
with  these  weapons  he  was  not  only  invulnerable,  but 
unconquerable.  From  his  movements,  however,  I  judged 
that  his  gifts  were  more  in  the  direction  of  ripping  than 
thrusting. 

As  my  things  were  all  gone  I  began  to  beg,  saying  that 
I  wished  a  knife  to  remember  him  by,  but  he  shook  his 
head,  and  said  that  he  could  not  sell  them  without  asking 
his  women.  To  me  such  an  answer  from  a  Kaffir  chief 
seemed  wonderful.  I  was  determined  to  have  a  keep- 
sake from  the  old  chief,  so  finally  he  presented  me  with  a 
small  brass-bladed  knife  which  he  carried  in  his  necklace. 

Mjela  did  not  appear  to  be  in  a  hurry,  so  I  told  him  that 
the  boys  he  had  promised  must  come  with  me  at  once.  His 
reply  was  that  he  liked  me,  and  would  be  glad  if  I  would 
stay  longer  in  his  country ;  to  which  I  replied  that  at  present 
such  a  delay  would  be  impossible.  When  he  was  informed 
that  the  party  had  started,  he  seemed  astounded.  To 
Umfana  he  gave  a  present  of  a  hoe,  for  having  interpreted 
and  spoken  so  well. 

By  that  time  Umfana  had  become  a  flourishing  orator, 
and  his  capacity  for  eating  was  unrivalled.  The  chief's 
women  gave  him  a  large  wooden  bowl  of  corn-meal  pap, 
which  he  wiped  beautifully  clean  in  a  very  few  moments. 


264  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

This  feat  accomplished,  we  made  a  start.  Being  one  man 
short,  I  led  the  ox  myself. 

Starting  off  at  a  jog-trot,  our  path  led  us  through  a  low, 
mountainous  region.  When  we  overtook  the  advance  party, 
we  proceeded  six  miles  on  our  journey,  arriving  at  the 
Dorah  river,  which  was  crossed,  our  camp  being  pitched  on 
the  northern  bank.  The  Dorah  has  a  rocky  bed.  Where 
we  then  were  it  was  about  fifty  yards  wide,  and  its  look  was 
that  of  a  clear  crystal  stream.  Twelve  miles  had  been  the 
length  of  our  day's  march. 

I  saw  out-croppings  of  quartz,  but  none  showed  even  the 
slightest  traces  of  gold. 

The  night  was  bitterly  cold.  The  camp  was  in  a  most 
unfavourable  position,  being  much  too  low  in  the  valley  of 
the  river,  where  a  heavy  vapour  enveloped  us.  It  was 
useless  attempting  to  go  on  to  •  higher  ground.  The 
Makorikori  were  not  a  whit  better  than  the  Mashona  in 
that  respect.     They  would  not  go  far  from  water. 

I  have  heard  it  stated  that  natives  never  camp  where  the 
fog  hangs.  Yet  it  has  been  my  experience  to  learn  that 
they  do  not  give  consideration  to  anything  of  the  kind. 
They  camp  in  a  regardless  way,  provided  water  and  wood 
for  fires  is  close  at  hand.  I  have  seen  them  even  camp 
upon  rocks  in  the  very  centre  of  a  river. 

These  instances  are  cited  merely  to  show  the  absolute 
indifference  of  the  people  to  their  surroundings.  A  traveller 
is  helpless  among  them.  While  he  is  in  their  hands  their 
chief  aim  is  to  get  as  much  as  possible  out  of  him.  We 
were  seldom  able  to  make  an  early  start  on  account  of  all 
sorts  of  extortionate  and  dilatory  schemes  on  the  part  of  the 
natives. 

More  beads — oh,  these  eternal  demands  ! — had  to  be 
given  before  a  new  start  could  be  made.     A  promise  had 


A   LIONESS  STOPS   THE    WAY.  265 

also  to  bs  given  that  if  a  really  good  march  was  effected 
the  ox  would  surely  be  killed,  at  which  announcement 
Karemba's  joy  was  unbounded.  The  slaughtering  was  to  be 
his  privilege,  and  the  hide  his  property. 

Our  advance  led  us  through  an  undulating,  or  rather  a 
hilly  country,  the  shallow  valleys  of  which  were  threaded 
by  numerous  tiny  rivulets.  Low  forest  growth,  thicket 
and  high  grass,  covered  the  rolling  land.  The  vegetation 
seemed  to  be  a  first-class  cover  for  wild  animals. 

And  so  it  was.  Just  then  my  rather  awkward  line,  which, 
like  the  poet's  wounded  snake,  "dragged  its  low  length 
along,"  received  a  check.  The  head  suddenly  swerved. 
The  boys,  in  great  alarm,  threw  down  their  loads,  and  fled 
towards  the  rear.  What  was  the  matter  ?  Looking  ahead  I 
saw,  much  to  my  annoyance,  a  lioness  leap  into  the  thicket, 
after  dropping  a  duiker  which  she  had  been  carrying  in 
her  mouth.  As  usual  I  had  been  in  the  rear,  endeavouring 
to  push  the  men  on — a  duty  I  heartily  disliked,  but  to 
which  unfortunately  I  was  becoming  habituated.  Oh,  how 
many  capital  shots  were  missed  in  this  manner ! 

The  men  did  not  condescend  to  proceed  again  until  they 
had  divided  the  lioness's  spoil  of  duiker  meat  amongst  them. 
We  had  not  marched  far  when  I  saw  agitated  clouds  of 
vultures  hovering  in  the  air,  and  winging  their  way  above 
the  trees  directly  before  us.  Where  these  were  I  felt  sure 
there  must  be  more  meat,  and  probably  lions. 

I  was  afraid  to  call  to  John,  who  was  ahead,  to  stop, 
because  I  was  conscious  of  the  fact  that  any  extra  noise 
might  frighten  the  lions  away  should  they  be  there. 

As  quickly  as  possible,  therefore,  I  dashed  past  the  carriers 
onward  to  the  spot.  Too  late  !  John  had  gone  blundering 
along  without  paying  any  attention  to  my  strict  orders  that, 
should  there  be  any  signs  of  lions,  he  was  to  be  sure  and 


266  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

halt,  in  order  to  give  me  the  chance  of  a  shot ;  for  it  mnst 
be  remembered  that  in  this  country,  no  matter  how  numerous 
these  animals  may  be,  success  in  **  potting  "  one  is  not  only 
mere  chance,  but  also  the  reward  of  very  careful  stalking. 
The  undergrowth  is  so  thick,  that  their  retreat  is  made  sure 
by  a  single  bound. 

Through  the  leafy  branches  of  the  trees  standing  imme- 
diately in  front  of  us,  I  could  see  a  lion  and  a  lioness. 
Evidently  startled  by  the  noise  made  by  our  party,  they 
for  a  moment  stood  at  attention  to  see  what  was  the  appear- 
ance and  character  of  the  bold  intruders  who  dared  to 
interrupt  their  sumptuous  meal,  consisting  of  two  zebras, 
which  lay  dead  beside  them. 

I  saw  we  had  been  detected,  so  I  bounded  on  as  quickly 
as  possible,  trying  to  get  round  the  trees  in  order  to  have  a 
shot.  Too  late  again,  but  just  in  time  to  get  a  very  good 
view  of  both,  although  there  was  not  the  slightest  chance  of 
a  shot,  for  they  were  off  in  the  high  grass,  over  which  I 
could  just  discern  the  top  of  the  head  of  the  male.  I  con- 
tinued to  entertain  a  hope  that  he  would  stop,  but  he  was 
soon  out  of  sight ;  and  so  another  chance  was  gone. 

As  I  had  rushed  past  John,  I  called  out  to  him  to  come 
along,  thinking  that  his  experience  would  be  of  some 
assistance  in  raising  the  beasts.  His  only  response  was  the 
confession,  "  Master,  I  am  very  frightened  thes  day." 

On  consideration  I  thought  that  I  might  not  have  been 
so  ardent  in  the  chase  had  I  possessed  his  experience  of 
lion  hunting,  for  on  a  previous  occasion  John  had  been 
treated  in  a  very  rough  manner  by  one  of  the  kings  of 
beasts. 

While  out  hunting  with  a  number  of  boys  he  had  shot  at 
a  fine  lion  and  wounded  him.  Reloading  as  quickly  as  he 
could,  he  had  looked  for  his  game  in  order  to  give  the  coup 


TORN  BY  A   LION.  267 


de  grace,  when  to  his  surprise  he  found  that  the  first  shot 
had  had  no  effect  beyond  firing  the  fury  of  the  animal, 
which  now  ran  with  great  speed  towards  its  enemy. 

John  at  once  threw  down  his  gun,  and  bolted  for  dear 
life.  But  in  speed  the  lion  was  too  much  for  him.  Poor 
John  was  overtaken  in  an  instant,  seized  at  the  small  of  the 
back,  the  brute's  fangs  piercing  the  two  large  muscles  which 
are  situated  beside  the  vertebrsB.  The  unfortunate  man 
was  thrown  violently  to  the  ground.  The  lion  then  literally 
tore  the  flesh  off  his  leo^s  and  thio:hs.  It  was  onlv  the  con- 
tinned  shouts  and  yells  of  the  whole  party,  none  of  whom 
had  guns,  that  finally  made  the  lion  run  off.  Wonderful 
to  relate,  John  rapidly  recovered  from  his  wounds. 

But  never  afterwards  did  he  yearn  for  lion  hunting.  As 
Mr.  Selous  hinted  to  me  at  Buluwayo,  this  horrible  experi- 
ence had  shaken  John's  nerve  in  such  circumstances. 

I  determined  not  to  abandon  the  spot  where  the  meat 
was,  thinking  that  its  attractions  would  soon  bring  the  lions 
back  again,  when  I  would  try  my  luck.  Going  on  with 
the  carriers  for  about  half  a  mile,  we  arrived  at  a  small 
watercourse,  and  I  said  that  there  we  would  camp,  while  to 
the  immense  delight  of  the  company  I  also  agreed  that  the 
ox  might  be  killed. 

With  "  C.  L.  K."  in  my  hands,  I  asked  Karemba  to  go 
with  me,  but  he  said  he  did  not  like  to  go.  Force  would 
be  of  little  use  under  the  circumstances,  so  I  departed  on  the 
doubtful  venture  without  a  companion.  I  waded  through 
high  grass  and  plunged  through  thorn  and  thicket  until 
the  spot  where  the  lions  had  been  seen  feasting  upon  the 
zebras  was  reached.  The  bodies  were  quite  fresh,  evidently 
lately  killed.  The  lions  had  been  hungry,  for  they  had 
made  away  with  the  greater  portion  of  the  flesh. 

What  a  wild  forest  scene  this  was  !    Low  in  the  air  the 


^68  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

vultures  were  flying  above  the  bodies  of  the  lions'  prey. 
I  crept  into  a  small  bush  which  stood  within  three  yards 
of  the  dead  zebras,  so  that  if  the  lions  came  back  to  their 
interrupted  meal,  I  might  be  able  to  get  a  good  shot,  late 
in  the  evening  though  it  was.  Certainly  under  the  silvery 
light  of  the  moon  a  deadly  shot  might  have  been  made 
at  this  close  range,  and  when  first  I  took  up  my  position 
the  wind  was  blowing  favourably,  that  is  to  say  if  the  lions 
came  from  the  direction  in  which  I  had  last  seen  them. 

It  is  difficult  to  describe  how  such  a  scene  as  this  delights 
the  heart.  Thoroughly  wild  it  was,  and  exciting  as  well ; 
for  there  seems  to  be  a  charm  in  reclining  in  and  watching 
the  forest  homes  of  wild  beasts,  looking  upon  the  struggle 
that  the  animals  have  for  their  rough  subsistence,  and  noting 
their  various  grades  of  strength  lessening,  in  this  case,  until 
the  smaller  crows  might  be  seen  pouncing  upon  the  morsels 
dropped  by  the  voracious  vultures  in  their  determined  fight 
for  food. 

The  vultures  seemed  to  darken  the  air.  They  hovered 
about  the  place,  and  were  quick  to  detect  the  slightest 
movement  I  might  make.  Getting  into  a  comfortable 
position,  I  remained  motionless,  and  the  birds  came  down 
in  flocks. 

The  variety  was  remarkable.  Some  were  very  large,  with 
a  dark  brown  plumage;  others,  slightly  smaller,  perhaps, 
had  grey  feathers.  I  lay  so  quietly  that  they  perched  upon 
the  branches  just  above  my  head,  even  within  a  couple  of 
feet  of  me.  Here  was  a  splendid  opportunity  for  an  obser- 
vant naturalist.  The  heads  of  the  birds  varied  very  much, 
some  being  wholly  white ;  some  having  white  faces  and 
black  caps  falling  over  the  back  of  the  head  ;  and  some 
with  white  and  pink  hoods,  and  with  naked  flesh,  coloured 
heads  and  necks.     Great  numbers  of  crows — white-collared 


WATCHING    THE  LION'S  PREY.  2G9 

crows  and  ravens — formed  a  large  circle  outside  the  scene  of 
operations  filled  by  their  death-loving  kin. 

Soon  my  attention  was  otherwise  engaged.  A  rustling 
was  apparent  in  the  high,  rank  grass  directly  in  front  of 
my  position.     I  waited  and  watched  attentively. 

The  lioness  !  Yes ;  but  unfortunately  now  there  was  no 
wind,  except  an  occasional  and  very  gentle  breath.  With 
a  low  growl  she  stalked  through  the  tall  grass.  Had  she 
got  my  wind?  Something  must  have  been  wrong,  for  I 
was  motionless,  and  held  my  very  breath  in  my  anxiety 
to  bag  a  fine  leonine  specimen. 

At  shady  sundown  I  still  lay  in  the  same  position,  and 
the  lioness  came  again.  But  she  would  not  venture  out 
upon  the  little  open  patch  where  lay  the  zebras.  She 
assuredly  must  have  winded  me.  I  waited  until  late  in 
the  night,  when  clouds  were  coursing  across  and  obscuring 
the  friendly  moon,  and  the  gathering  darkness  urged  me 
to  retreat  in  case  I  might  be  no  longer  the  hunter  but  the 
hunted. 

I  had  some  dijBBculty  in  finding  my  way  back  to  the  camp, 
but  by  listening  attentively  I  distinctly  heard  the  chatter 
of  many  voices  becoming  nearer  and  clearer  in  the  pulseless 
air,  and  suddenly,  when  the  lost  light  of  the  moon  flashed 
out  from  a  rift  of  the  darkening  clouds,  I  could  distinguish 
in  the  open  glade  numbers  of  boys  armed  with  assegais 
advancing  quickly.  They  were  my  own  Inyota  lads,  come 
forth  in  search  of  me. 

After  hearing  the  particulars  about  the  lions,  the  Inyota 
said  they  would  like  to  go  and  take  the  meat  which  the 
lions  had  left.  By  no  means  reluctant  to  see  the  scramble, 
I  went  back  with  them.  We  were  soon  on  the  spot,  and 
they  at  once  began  operations  under  the  restless  gleams  of 
the  moon,  for  no  fire  was  made — they  were  too  impatient  for 


270  TEE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

that.  Little  delay  occurred  in  their  attack  upon  the 
abandoned  prey.  An  animated  scene  was  the  onslaught ; 
for  spears,  axes,  and  knives,  were  quick  at  their  gory  work 
of  chopping,  cutting,  and  stabbing,  while  the  greedy  horde 
tore  at  the  flesh,  squabbling  and  even  fighting  over  leg 
bones  and  other  tit-bits  which  stirred  their  gluttonous 
desires.  The  scene  baffles  description.  Over  the  carcases 
human  blood  even  was  spilt,  for  two  men  were  severely 
wounded  in  the  combat.  To  me  it  was  a  wonder  that 
some  of  the  flesh-loving  belligerents  were  not  killed  out- 
right. 

"  Let  him  take  who  has  the  power,  and  let  him  keep  who 
can,"  was  the  order  of  the  time ;  and  at  last  Might  again  was 
Right,  and  every  bit  of  meat  found  its  way  to  a  successful 
fighter.  Even  the  unclean  ribs  of  one  of  the  zebras  which 
the  lions  had  gnawed,  and  the  vultures  pecked,  had  been 
gladly  seized. 

Lions  were  evidently  numerous  here.  Shortly  after  we 
were  in  camp  we  heard  their  roars ;  and  after  the  chorus 
had  subsided,  and  slowly  died  away,  there  arose  the  wild, 
screaming  laughter  of  hyenas,  making  the  dismal  hours  of 
night  more  melancholy,  until  the  grey  dawn  appeared 
bringing  light  and  peace. 

Sleep  was,  to  me  at  least,  impossible  amidst  those  hideous 
sounds.  Every  now  and  then  I  would  awake  startled  by 
the  inharmonious  howls  of  the  hyenas.  On  that  occasion 
they  were  too  much  for  me.  I  sat  up  and  looked  around. 
Smoke  rose  from  the  smouldering  fires,  and  sinuously  swept 
around  the  strings  of  meat  which  hung  upon  the  rude 
aboriginal  spits. 

On  every  hand  lay  the  Kaffirs,  their  heads  resting  upon 
their  wooden  pillows,  and  their  bodies — as  stiff  as  sticks — 
stretched  out  like  leathery  corpses,  exposed  to  the  cold  and 


HAPPY  NATIVES.  271 


the  heavy  dew,  with  nothing  between  their  nakedness  and 
the  stars  which  sparkled  in  the  far-off  heavens. 

"  Ah  !  "  thought  I ;  "  wonderful  men,  happy  men  !  Your 
physical  miseries  are  still  in  the  dim  future  side  by  side 
with  your  mental  enlightenment.  With  civilisation  strange 
troubles  will  fall  upon  you.  Oh,  marvellous  men  !  natural 
beasts,  but  happy  mortals  !  Will  your  blight  come  with  the 
advent  of  the  white  man's  boasted  institutions  ?  Will 
civilisation  fetter  your  freedom,  and  rob  you  of  health  ? 
Now  you  move  in  abject  ignorance.  The  dome  of  heaven 
is  your  covering,  and  the  wild  prairie  grass  your  only 
bed.  And  yet  you  are  contented  beasts,  happy  mortals, 
and,  perhaps,  although  you  do  not  know  it,  favoured 
immortals." 

Almost  wishing  I  was  a  savage,  I  again  lay  down  to  rest. 
Bad  luck  had  disappointed  me.  Had  it  not  been  for  the 
difficulties  with  the  men,  which  were  every  day,  almost 
hourly,  thrust  in  my  path,  I  would  certainly  have  waited 
longer  in  a  country  which  was  so  favourable  for  hunting 
lions. 

But  three  moons  had  grown  old  and  vanished  since  we 
left  Matabeli-land,  and  even  now  there  were  no  signs  of  the 
Zambesi.  According  to  my  reckoning,  a  week  must  elapse 
before  we  could  reach  the  river  under  our  present  con- 
ditions. 

The  old  chief  at  Zingabila  had  talked  with  great  volu- 
bility, and  if  they  did  nothing  else,  his  speeches  had  the 
good  effect  of  elevating  the  falling  spirits  of  the  household, 
which  had  been  sadly  in  need  of  active  stimulants.  In 
reality,  however,  his  talk  had  helped  very  little. 

He  had  spoken  of  Mzungo,  which  is  the  name  the  natives 
in  that  quarter  have  given  to  the  Portuguese ;  but  I  was 
unable  to  learn  from  him  whether  or  not,  from  the  town  in 


272  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

our  line  of  march,  we  should  be  able  to  canoe  down  some 
river  flowing  to  the  Zambesi. 

Surmises,  however,  were  unavailing.  Many  a  mile  had 
still  to  be  traversed,  and  nothing  could  be  done,  except 
pushing  onward  in  whatever  way  we  could  until  they  were 
accumulated  in  our  wake. 

A  northerly  course  was  pursued  on  the  following  day. 
We  soon  left  the  light  forest,  and  moved  into  a  country 
clad  with  very  thick  bush,  affording  a  thoroughly  good 
shelter  for  wild  animals. 

A  large  stream,  called  the  Mutua  river,  flows  here,  on  its 
course  to  the  Amazoe,  passing  through  a  bed  of  rough 
shingle.  High  reeds  line  the  banks.  Leaving  here,  we 
penetrated  into  thick,  low  forest,  through  which  we  tramped 
for  about  seven  miles,  and  reached  the  banks  of  another 
large  affluent  of  the  Amazoe  river.  This  was  the  Ruiana, 
and  if  a  safe  opinion  may  be  formed  from  the  appearance 
of  the  rotting  reeds,  which  had  evidently  been  laid  low 
by  the  wild  waters  of  the  angry  autumnal  floods — although 
now  the  reeds  were  twenty  feet  above  the  bed  of  the 
stream — the  inference  was  clear  that  during  high  waters, 
or  periodical  inundations,  the  stream  is  at  least  200  feet 
in  breadth,  and  of  a  very  considerable  depth. 

We  ascended  its  northern  bank.  From  its  elevations 
we  could  look  back  upon  the  land  through  which  we  had 
passed.  The  Lubola  mountains,  which  had  been  climbed, 
stood  clearly  out,  and  high  in  the  distance  rose  the  bold 
heights  of  Zingabila,  with  the  tall  twin  beacons  glistening 
like  silvered  granite  under  the  glare  of  an  African  noonday 
sun.  Following  the  course  of  the  same  chain  of  mountains 
towards  the  left,  we  saw  a  prominent  eminence  which  had 
the  name  Sakare,  the  chief  df  the  place  being  Umgezi. 
Farther  on,  in  the  same  direction,  the  ridge  is  terminated 


A    QUEER    OLD   FOSSIL.  273 

by  a  pyramidal  mountain  called  Vura.  The  chief  of  this 
district  is  named  Makomo. 

The  Makomwe  mountains  were  our  next  ascent.  By  tlio 
time  that  the  dark  shadow  of  the  Dingamombe  mountain, 
a  broad-based,  isolated  pyramid  on  our  left,  was  thrown  upon 
us  by  the  lowering  western  sun,  I  was  influenced  to  make 
a  camp,  partly  through  the  fact  that  numbers  of  very 
excited,  and  even  terror-stricken  individuals,  were  darting 
past  us,  and  disappearing  as  quickly  as  they  came  to  view. 

No  town  was  visible,  but  notwithstanding  this  I  made  up 
my  mind  to  camp  where  we  were. 

In  a  harvested  field  Karemba  and  myself  took  a  seat  upon 
a  log;  where  around  us  the  crisp  and  parched  corn-stalks 
lay  scattered  upon  the  ground. 

Karemba  I  soon  despatched  to  try  and  find  some  water. 
He  succeeded  in  unearthing  a  very  old  and  foxy  fossil  of 
humanity  from  the  cover  of  the  neighbouring  mealy  stalks, 
and  this  ancient  showed  us  a  very  stagnant-looking  pool. 
We  tried  to  make  him  understand  that  we  wanted  a  purer 
water;  but  when  the  old  boy  got  a  fair  look  at  me — he 
was  so  blear-eyed  that  he  could  not  see  until  I  was  close 
up — he,  in  a  most  comical  fashion,  turned  his  back  and 
marched  away,  heedless  of  our  shouts,  until  his  figure  was 
slowly  lost  in  the  thicket.  Apparently  he  had  got  a  proper 
fright,  thinking,  doubtless,  that  I  was  the  ugliest  living 
thing  that  had  ever  been  seen,  according  to  the  memory 
of  the  oldest  inhabitant. 

No  human  habitation  was  visible.  I  lay  under  a  tree  to 
await  the  arrival  of  the  party,  which  loitered  far  behind. 
I  had  had  nothing  to  eat  or  drink  since  seven  o'clock  in 
the  morning — eleven  hours'  fasting.  My  mode  of  life  had 
been  akin  to  this  for  some  time.  Two  meals  a  day  were 
revelry  under  the  circumstances.     And   the   rations   were 

VOL.  I.  T 


274  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

plain,  decidedly  plain,  for  they  could  not  go  beyond  rice 
and  meat,  and  porridge  made  from  maize  meal.  I  have 
mentioned  meal  and  rice,  but,  now  that  I  remember,  both 
were  exhausted  by  that  time.  Coffee,  tea,  and  sugar  were 
luxuries  belonging  to  bygone  days. 

Notwithstanding  all  these  drawbacks  I  was  well  in  health 
and  lively  in  spirits,  although  my  feet  were  in  a  terrible 
condition,  badly  blistered  and  literally  torn,  through  the 
vj^orking  of  the  old  boots  as  they  were  wearily  drawn  through 
wet  and  heavy  land  which  was  almost  morass. 

Aggravation  came  from  other  sources  as  well.  The  "  dry 
goods  bank,"  for  example,  was  now  on  the  shoals  of  in- 
solvency. Lately  some  unexpected  calls  had  been  made 
upon  it,  and  with  one  or  two  more  of  the  same  kind  a 
suspension  of  payment  would  be  inevitable.  IMeal  was 
scarce  for  the  men,  and  it  would  be  expected  that  I  should 
buy  some  at  this  unlooked-for  town.  Of  course  I  should  be 
compelled  to  refuse,  and  to  put  off  the  purchase  until  we 
reached  the  town  of  the  Mzungo. 

Amidst  these  reflections  I  fell  asleep.  Some  time  after- 
wards Karemba  awoke  me,  bringing  some  rice  and  meat 
stew.  I  must  have  slept  very  soundly,  for  before  me  the 
camp  fires  were  now  blazing  cheerily,  and  the  skerm  was 
made.  On  such  occasions,  and  not  unfrequently,  it  would 
have  required  the  heavy  report  of  an  elephant  rifle,  fired  at 
close  quarters,  to  rouse  me  from  the  arms  of  the  all-powerful 
son  of  sleep  and  god  of  dreams. 

At  the  first  waking  glance  poor  John  was  not  to  be  seen. 
Looking  about,  I  ultimately  discovered  him  beneath  a  large 
tree  close  to  the  skerm,  his  hat  pulled  over  his  eyes,  while 
his  attitude  and  features  formed  a  living  picture  of  unutter- 
able woe. 

The  thin  and  ever  delicately  graceful  crescent  of  the  new 


THE   00 AT  ABANDONED.  275 


moon  shone  clear  amid  the  stars.  Nights  like  this  had  all 
the  enchantment  of  absolute  loveliness,  but  in  John's 
melancholy  mind  they  opened  a  vein  of  thought  trending 
in  the  direction  of  home. 

"  Master,"  he  would  say,  *'  how  many  moons  is  dat  since 
we  leave  Buluwayo  ?  " 

After  telling  him  the  number  of  moons,  I  changed  the 
subject.     This  time  I  said : 

"  Ah !  well,  John,  we  shall  have  to  kill  the  poor  old  goat 
now,  for  we  shall  be  into  fly  country  before  we  know  it." 

"  No,  sir ;  we  shall  not  him  keel.  I  wants  to  take  him 
back  to  my  wife,  and  let  him  stop  mit  me  ther." 

The  goat,  however,  had  to  be  left  behind  at  this  point  of 
our  journey.  Truly  I  felt  sorry  for  John,  because  I  know 
he  hated  this  wandering  life.  Regarding  the  latter  part 
of  the  route,  I  too  had  good  cause  to  be  sick  of  it.  There- 
fore I  had  fully  intended  to  release  him  at  the  next  town, 
whatever  might  be  the  circumstances  or  the  consequences. 

The  name  of  the  mysterious  contiguous  town  was  said  to 
be  Shitimba.  At  sunrise  on  the  following  morning  I  was 
up  and  away  on  a  reconnoitring  expedition,  for  it  Avould 
bo  necessary  to  say  a  word  or  two  to  the  cliief  before 
proceeding  farther. 

Having  found  out  that  the  chief  was  at  another  town, 
I,  without  further  inquiries,  cleared  out,  journeying  on  as 
rapidly  as  possible  in  the  hope  that  before  night  our  eyes 
and  hearts  would  be  gladdened  by  a  change  of  scene.  At 
that  time  the  elevation  of  the  land  through  which  we  were 
travelling  was  so  great  that  it  was  impossible  to  think  that 
we  could  be  near  the  big  river. 

My  heart,  like  the  hearts  of  so  many  of  the  natives  who 
were  refused  presents,  was  "  sore."  A  catastrophe  would 
have  been  welcome,  and  even  a  hissing  shell  ready  to  burst 

T  2 


276  THE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

in  our  midst  might  not  find  me  thankless  for  its  appearance. 
The  spirits  of  the  household  were  frozen  far  below  zero. 
A  sad  plight  truly !  For  to  the  African  traveller  a  light 
heart  is  as  indispensable  as  a  savourless  palate.  Contented, 
indeed,  is  he  who  can  see  a  comical  side  even  to  misery  ! 
Not  a  soul  at  that  time  had  any  interest  in  or  sympathy 
towards  my  movements.  Sulks  were  in  the  ascendant,  and 
not  one  of  the  party  cared  a  straw  about  the  doings  of  his 
neighbour. 

A  northward  line  of  march  led  us  past  the  town  of 
Shitimba.  On  our  right  and  also  on  our  left  the  flat  crowns 
of  the  low  mountains  were  dotted  with  the  houses,  which  in 
form  differed  greatly  from  those  we  had  been  accustomed  to 
see  in  the  rocky  regions  of  the  south.  They  were  actually 
houses  on  stilts,  being  fixed  upon  poles  at  a  distance  of 
about  six  feet  from  the  ground.  In  this  manner,  also,  the 
corn  bins  are  protected  from  the  ravages  of  the  white  ant, 
a  destructive  creature  which  we  had  seen  but  little  of  since 
we  left  Matabeli-land. 

When  we  had  proceeded  a  little  farther,  three  detached 
mountains  of  solid  rock  in  the  shape  of  cones  broke  upon 
our  view  towards  the  west.  Not  being  able  to  find  out 
a  native  name,  I  called  them  the  Three  Brothers. 

The  beginning  of  our  descent  of  the  northern  side  of  the 
tree-mantled  mountains  of  Makomwe  was  almost  imper- 
ceptible, because,  although  broken  by  rough  ravines  and 
rounded  ridges,  the  actual  slope  was  very  gentle.  Shortly 
I  distinguished  in  the  distance  a  small  blue  spot  in  the 
forest.  It  told  that  the  northern  limit  of  the  range  had  at 
last  been  reached.  As  we  advanced  the  spot  grew  larger, 
expanding  quickly  before  our  gaze,  until  the  dead  monotony 
of  the  trees  which  had  hemmed  us  in  formed  the  back- 
ground of  our  position.     Wearied  eyes  were  then  freed  from 


THE   GREAT  BASIN  OF   THE  ZAMBESI.  211 

the  long-continued  and  dismally-contracted  view  of  moun- 
tain, hill  and  dale,  and  looked  forward  with  refreshing 
clearness  upon  a  vast  expanse  of  varied  land  stretching 
far  and  wide,  bright  under  the  powerful  silvery  rays  of  a 
vertical  sun. 

There  could  be  no  mistake.  At  last  outstretched  before 
us  we  saw,  a  thousand  feet  beneath,  and  reaching  far  to  the 
hazy  horizon,  the  great  basin  of  the  Zambesi ! 

A  tropical  forest,  in  all  the  luxuriance  of  its  beautiful 
foliage,  and  its  varied  shades  of  green,  with  here  and  there 
the  light  and  fainter  tints  of  sun-parched  leaves,  lay  ex- 
tended almost  boundlessly  before  us.  Gigantic  trunks  of 
the  baobab  were  dotted  here  and  there,  reminding  one  of 
the  towers  of  many  lighthouses  rising  from  a  vast  ocean 
of  leaves.  Not  a  sound  broke  the  stillness.  The  appearance 
conveyed  to  my  mind  a  strong  idea  that  we  should  soon 
have  to  plunge  into  a  zone  of  excessive  heat. 


278  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

ENTERING   THE   "FLY   COUNTKY." 

A  descent  into  heat — Tea  the  best  drink — ^Drinking  generally — ^Rhinoceros 
— Sym))toms  of  another  strike — Intense  heat — Msingua  river — Suru — 
"  Dar  is  the  tsetse  fly  now,  master ! " — The  "  Fly  Country  "  at  last — 
An  odd  hue  and  cry — Mysterious  words — Strange  conduct  of  the 
guides — Unravelling  the  mystery. 

The  country  of  the  Makorikori,  in  which  we  had  spent  so 
long  and  so  eventful  a  time,  was  now  left  behind,  and  it 
was  not  without  satisfaction  that  we  began  the  abrupt 
descent  to  the  foot-hills  of  the  Makomwe  mountains. 

Night  was  rapidly  darkening  our  way,  and  as  water  was 
scarce,  and  the  day  had  been  a  thorough  "  scorcher,"  we 
pitched  camp  in  a  sag  on  the  breast  of  the  mountains 
in  proximity  to  a  rocky  gulch.  The  position  was  some 
distance  from  water,  and  there  was  little  pleasantness  in 
the  general  state  of  affairs,  for  we  were  short  of  provisions, 
and  for  some  days  had  been  living  upon  unvarying  meat. 

I  felt  as  though  I  had  an  absorbing  craving  for  tea. 
Living  upon  meat  alone  is  a  nauseating  experience.  What 
a  powerful  effect  is  felt  by  any  one  who  after  acquiring  a 
strong  predilection  for,  and  becoming  habituated  to,  any 
special  kind  of  diet  or  drink,  is  suddenly  deprived  of  the 
means  of  gratifying  his  appetite  !  It  seems  as  though  the 
article  lost  was  the  only  thing  that  could  make  life  bear- 
able, or  even  desirable. 

Speaking  only  for  myself,  although  it  may  be  mentioned 


HOT  TEA    THE  BEST  BRINK.  279 


that  I  have  noticed  the  same  with  others  similarly  situated, 
I  say  that  as  a  thoroughly  refreshing  drink  during  fatigue, 
or  for  quenching  violent  thirst,  hot  tea  is  the  best ; 
for  I  cannot  acquiesce  to  the  common  belief  in  tlie  desir- 
ability of  carrying  bottles  of  cold  tea,  coffee,  or  any  other 
beverage  intended  to  be  quaffed  during  the  march,  or  w  lien 
hunting,  while  the  body  is  heated.  Experience  has  taught, 
not  only  in  Africa,  but  in  other  lands  where  I  have  had 
by  no  means  an  inconsiderable  share  of  fatigue,  that  the 
human  system  is  never  invigorated,  not  to  speak  of  bene- 
fited, by  drinking  anything  cold  or  spirituous  while  the 
body  is  exposed  to  the  fiery  rays  of  a  tropical  sun.  It  is  a 
good  plan  to  do  as  the  animals  do — wait  till  sundown. 
Then  when  cooled  off,  or  even  before  cooling,  a  small  drink, 
so  long  as  it  is  warm,  will  refresh  the  system  besides 
assuaging  the  thirst.  Provided  any  one  begins  to  drink 
drops  of  water  or  cold  tea,  or  tipples  on  something  else, 
nothing  less  than  absolute  immersion  and  partial  asphyxi- 
ation will  check  the  craving,  and  that  only  temporarily. 

I  have  heard  people  urging  strongly  the  axiom  that  it  is 
well  to  follow  the  habits  of  the  natives  as  the  proper  system 
to  adopt  when  travelling  in  their  country.  Had  I  followed 
the  practices  of  the  Kaffirs  in  regard  to  their  water  libations 
and  ablutions  I  am  positive  that  I  never  would  have  crossed 
the  Orange  river.  A  Kaffir  is  a  wonderful  creature  in  that 
way.  He  never  thinks  of  what  is  beneficial  or  hurtful. 
Even  when  perspiration  is  flowing  from  every  pore  in  his 
skin,  he  will  plunge  headlong  into  any  cold  and  crystal 
water  that  may  be  near,  disporting  himself  merrily  in  its 
refreshing  coolness,  and  gulping  at  the  same  time  big 
mouthsful  of  the  welcome  draught.  This  I  have  seen  on 
many  occasions. 

For  some  time  before  we  camped,  the  roars  of  lions  were 


280  THE  FAR   INTEIUOB. 


heard,  the  result  being  that  we  were  almost  deprived  of 
water  for  the  night,  for  nothing  would  induce  the  Kaffirs  to 
go  and  fetch  it,  unless  they  were  supported  by  a  rifle.  I 
went  with  them,  and  they  carried  their  assegais  and  fire- 
brands. We  had  a  good  deal  of  searching  before  we  found 
the  spring,  which  was  hidden  in  a  deep  rent  in  the  rocks, 
which  were  exposed  to  the  action  of  the  torrents  during  the 
rainy  season. 

After  this,  the  temper  of  the  company,  which  was  mercurial 
in  its  sensitiveness,  pointed  to  fairer  weather ;  for  the  Inyota 
men  said :  "  To-morrow,  we  will  be  sure  to  reach  the  town." 

During  the  night  a  black  rhinoceros  ran  past  at  a  great 
speed,  breaking  the  brushwood,  and  creating  much  nervous 
excitement  in  camp. 

Morning  brought  the  old  and  familiar  cries  for  a 
"  strike,"  which,  however  anxious  I  might  be,  I  could  not 
then  compromise  in  the  way  that  these  black  cormorants 
would  like;  because  I  had  no  white  calico  left,  not  even  a 
single  yard.  White  calico  they  would  have,  and  failing 
that,  they  expected  me  to  tear  up  my  red  blankets  and 
divide  the  pieces  among  them.  The  innocent  audacity  of 
the  last  demand  was  very  amusing. 

The  gift  of  a  few  beads  gave  them  but  slight  gratification. 
It  was  highly  diverting  to  watch  these  big  men  stringing 
their  precious  beads,  the  sight  carrying  the  thoughts  back 
to  the  very  early  days  of  childhood. 

About  eleven  o'clock  we  were  again  on  our  way,  diving 
into  the  heated  forest.  Henceforth  the  fresh  climate  of  the 
highlands  was  also  to  be  numbered  among  the  comparative 
comforts  which  had  been  left  behind.  As  we  descended, 
the  heat  became  intense  and  opjiressive,  it  being  now  the 
hottest  time  of  the  day.  The  sensation  reminded  me  of  the 
feeling  of  going  from  the  cool   to  the  hottest  room  in  a 


A   MELTING    WALK.  281 

Turkish  bath.  The  men  were  pouring  with  perspiration, 
and  their  bronzed  bodies  shone  as  though  they  had  just 
emerged  from  the  vasty  deep. 

In  time  we  reached  the  bottom  of  the  steep  descent, 
and  struck  away  into  the  torrid  belt.  Not  a  breath  of  air 
moved.  The  forest  seemed  actually  to  hold  the  heat. 
Thorny  acacias  were  abundant,  but  they  afforded  no  shelter. 
The  only  shelter  that  could  be  found  from  the  resistless 
burning  sun  was  in  the  lee  of  the  baobab  (native  name 
mulamho),  some  of  which  were  of  gigantic  dimensions, 
although,  comparatively  speaking,  their  branches  seemed  to 
be  very  small.  The  only  sign  of  life  was  the  winging  of 
some  grey  plantain  eaters  (Chizoeris  concolor),  which  con- 
stantly took  their  short  flights  from  tree  to  tree  as  our 
advance  disturbed  their  silent  or  sequestered  retreat. 

A  couple  of  hours  of  a  melting  walk  brought  us  to  the 
banks  of  the  Msingua  river,  where  we  found  a  small  town 
called  Suru.  The  headman  soon  put  in  an  appearance,  for 
quite  a  stir  was  caused  by  the  arrival  of  the  white  man 
and  his  escort. 

The  headman  was  a  fat  and  far  from  unintelligent  look- 
ing man.  Around  his  loins  he  wore  a  cloth,  and  he  stood 
before  me  in  a  position  of  attention.  Then  he  drew  back 
his  right  foot,  scraping  it  upon  the  ground  as  he  did  so,  a 
proceeding  which  was  repeated  with  the  left  foot,  while  he 
clapped  his  hands  and  saluted  me.  I  could  see  at  a  glance 
that  this  man  had  been  trained  by  the  Portuguese,  or 
perhaps  by  their  offspring,  or  dependents. 

The  people  appeared  to  be  friendly,  but  very  much 
amazed.  Although  I  am  able  to  speak  Spanish  pretty 
fluently,  my  Portuguese  is  rather  questionable ;  still,  I 
tried  to  discover  if  any  of  our  new  friends  could  speak  the 
latter  tongue,  but  not  a  word  could  be  extracted. 


282  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

A  large  baobab-troe  stood  in  the  centre  of  the  village, 
and  the  chief  led  me  to  its  shade.  The  village  consisted 
of  circular  huts  with  roofs  like  Japanese  umbrellas,  made 
of  cane,  and  thatched  with  grass.  Some  of  the  huts  were 
enclosed  by  cane  fences,  and,  as  a  whole,  the  village  had  a 
very  tidy  appearance. 

A  cane  mat  was  given  me  to  sit  upon,  and  unaccustomed 
to  such  attentions,  I  felt  as  if  I  had  been  given  a  bounce 
upwards  in  rank  and  consequence. 

Beer  was  produced,  and  then  I  determined  to  start  a 
conversation. 

All  at  once  I  felt  a  sharp  sting  at  the  back  of  my 
neck.  At  the  same  time  John  made  a  wild  clutch  at 
something,  as  he  exclaimed  : — 

"  Dar  is  de  tsetse  fly  now,  master ;  we  have  leave  de  old 
gout  in  time  ! " 

It  did  not  take  long  to  become  painfully  accustomed  to 
the  sharp  reminders  of  these  little  pests,  whose  presence 
showed  that  we  were  in  the  "  fly  country,"  as  the  infested 
land  is  termed.  At  that  time  a  few  fowls  were  the  only 
domesticated  live  stock  that  could  be  seen. 

"Who  is  the  chief  who  owns  or  rules  this  country?" 
was  my  first  question. 

"  The  name  of  the  king,"  was  the  reply,  "  is  Sakauii.  He 
is  Mzungo  [white  man]." 

"  Then,"  I  responded,  "  his  colour  is  something  like  mine." 

"  Oh,  no  !"  said  the  cmef,  "  I  never  saw  a  man  like  you 
before  ;  he  is  something  like  him,"  pointing  to  John. 

"  Eow  far  is  it  to  the  town  ?"  I  asked. 

"Not  far,"  he  said,  showing  by  the  sun  how  long  tlie 
journey  would  take. 

"  Will  you  give  me  a  guide  ?" 

The  answer  to  this  question  was  that  he,  himself,  would 


THE  STOLEN  ASSEGAIS.  283 

guide  me ;  but  we  should  in  the  meantime  have  to  wait  until 
word  was  sent  to  the  king  that  I  was  in  the  country.  I 
should  have  to  stay  where  I  was  until  an  answer  had  been 
received. 

This,  I  thought,  was  a  strange  decision.  If  his  majesty 
was  a  Portuguese  then  he  had  evidently  become  acclimatised 
in  mind,  and  had  also  adopted  the  customs  of  the  natural 
sons  of  the  soil.  Nevertheless  I  felt  that  a  great  weight 
had  been  lifted  from  my  shoulders.  After  all  our  dreary 
and  fatiguing  marches,  and  our  harassing  wrangles  with  the 
different  tribes,  we  stood  at  last  in  the  basin  of  the  Zambesi. 
Only  a  short  time  ago  we  had  been  upon  the  eve  of  failure, 
but  now  I  felt  assured  that  we  would  obtain  fresh  supplies 
and  strike  off  direct  to  the  Lakes. 

Just  after  sunset  two  of  my  assegais  were  stolen.  In- 
forming the  chief  of  the  theft,  he  immediately  went  through 
a  most  amusing  procedure.  As  he  walked  through  the 
small  streets  of  the  town,  he  stormed  and  raved  furiously, 
letting  the  people  hear  what  was  doubtless  very  strong 
language,  but  the  real  drift  of  which  was  : 

"  Bring  back  the  assegais  !  Bring  back  the  assegais  of 
the  white  man  !  If  Sakanii  hears  that  we  have  robbed  the 
white  man  he  will  kill  us." 

The  excited  walk  of  the  chief  gradually  became  a  run,  in 
which  some  others  joined  as  supporters,  and  before  midnight 
he  appeared  with  the  assegais,  much  to  my  delight,  for  they 
had  a  history,  and  of  course  were  all  the  more  valuable  to  mo 
on  that  account. 

The  chief  likewise  brought  the  news  that  Sakanii  was 
away  at  his  town  on  the  Zambesi  river,  and  it  was  not 
known  when  he  would  return.  Consulting  my  map,  I  found 
that  from  where  we  were  to  the  river,  the  distance,  in  an  air- 
line, was  about  fifty-three  miles. 


284  THE  FAB   INTERIOR. 

A  long  palaver  ensued.  Mystery  seemed  to  cloud  its 
words.  Why  should  I  stay  here,  as  the  chief  desired,  until 
Sakanii  was  informed  of  my  arrival  ?  Could  I  not,  in  any 
case,  go  on  to  his  town,  and  hear  what  his  people  said ;  he 
must  surely  have  subordinates  ? 

No  satisfactory  reply  could  be  had.  I  concluded  there- 
fore that  to  go  ahead  was  the  only  plan  to  adopt.  To  be 
left  at  this  spot  would  indeed  be  an  awkward  position,  for 
how  could  I  get  out  of  it  with  sufficient  goods  to  pay  my 
way  ? 

The  night  was  warm,  and  the  first  blush  of  morning 
presaged  a  day  of  scorching  heat.  The  indescribable  glow 
of  coloured  light  which  heralded  the  advent  of  the  sun 
told  me  clearly  what  was  before  us  and  made  me  anxious  to 
hurry  the  men  towards  making  a  start. 

The  approach  to  the  king's  town  was  not  made  without  a 
series  of  not  only  mysterious,  but  actually  nervous  signs  on 
the  part  of  our  guides,  who  numbered  about  a  dozen.  Halts 
were  repeatedly  made  and  consultations  held.  I  was  quite 
unable  to  learn  from  John  what  it  all  meant.  He  was  as 
much  puzzled  as  I  was. 

This  position  was  very  trying  to  the  temper,  for  I  under- 
stood that  we  were  approaching  the  town  of  a  Portuguese. 

Six  miles  were  traversed,  during  which  we  crossed  and 
recrossed  the  winding  course  of  the  Msingua  river.  The 
guides  then  said  that  it  would  be  well  that  my  party  should 
now  remain  where  they  were,  and  that  I  should  go  on  and 
see  the  man  who  was  in  charge  of  the  town. 

I  lost  no  time.  Taking  Karemba  with  me,  and  armed 
with  a  small  rifle  in  case  we  should  meet  game,  we  set  out 
to  unmask  the  strange  mystery.  Only  one  man  accom- 
panied us  as  a  guide. 


(     285     ) 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

CHIBINGA. 

Skulls  on  gate-posts — Black  but  not  comely — Meaning  of  Mzungo — A 
dubious  reception — Karemba's  nonchalance — Marching  into  the  town — 
Confusion  of  tongues — Undesirable  quarters — A  ^vaterless  river — 
Hungry  retainers — Absence  of  King  Sakauii — Himting,  a  last  resource 
— The  mother  of  the  monarch — Eats  swarming — A  mutilating  wolf — 
Inyota  versus  women — "  Satan  "  is  bibulous — Flies  in  myriads — Signs 
of  disaffection — Negotiations  with  the  "  faithfuls  " — -Truculent  Inyota 
— The  monarch's  mother  commands  my  attendance — Curious  recep- 
tion— Hopes  revived — Deplorable  servility — Comparison  with  IVIexi- 
can  peone — The  palmero  punishment — "  Us  shall  die  from  de  hunger  " 
— I  start  in  search  of  the  King — Bringing  down  a  boar — Game  on  the 
route — The  Mkumbura  river — Spoor  of  wild  animals — The  busy 
tsetse — Description  of  the  tsetse — A  lion  adventure — Fierceness  of 
heat — The  Umzengaizi  river  —  Msenza  —  Meeting  with  Sakanii  — 
Courteous  greeting — Civilised  comforts — The  king's  mode  of  travelling 
— His  Portuguese  connection — Eeturning  to  Chibinga — The  king's 
bearers  —  Rapid  progress  —  Prospects  of  relief — Noisy  welcome  to 
Chibinga. 

We  soon  arrived  at  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  which  was 
situated  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Msingua,  and  was 
encircled  by  a  high  pole  fence.  As  we  approached  the 
entrance,  great  numbers  of  people  flocked  to  witness  our 
arrival.  I  observed  that  a  human  skull  was  fixed  upon  the 
top  of  each  post  at  the  entrance  gate. 

We  pushed  our  way  through  the  surging  throng  and 
reached  the  centre  of  the  town.  There  we  found  a  sort  of 
plastered  divan,  under  a  thatched  roof,  serving  as  a  shade 
from  the  sun,  and  supported  by  a  number  of  poles. 

Beneath  this   shade   stood   a   man   blacker  than  ebony, 


286  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

the  proverbial  black  of  blackness.  The  figure  was  dressed 
in  a  suit  of  coarse  white  cotton.  Head-dress  there  was  none. 

I  had  been  on  the  look  out  for  somebody  a  little  whiter, 
80  I  turned  and  said — 

"  Where  is  Mzungo  ?  " 

They  intimated  that  the  black  object  under  the  shade 
was  Mzungo  (white  man). 

Merciful  powers !  Had  my  vision  been  deceived  for  a 
lifetime  ?  If  this  was  white,  where  under  the  heavens  could 
black  be  found  ?  The  fact  was  clear  that  if  these  so-called 
Mzungo  were  all  like  this  man  they  had  been  called 
white  because  their  clothes  were  white. 

I  walked  up  and  shook  hands  with  him,  an  act  which  it 
was  only  tco  clear  was  most  repugnant  to  his  feelings.  At 
the  time  I  remember  being  much  impressed  with  the  idea 
that  never  in  my  life  had  it  fallen  to  my  lot  to  see  a  worse 
physiognomy  than  his.  He  could  not  speak  Portuguese, 
and  looked  very  much  annoyed  about  my  arrival. 

The  crowd  pressed  round  the  house,  listening  with 
evident  amusement  to  what  the  chief  said.  I  could  see  that 
the  people  shuffled  their  feet  as  they  approached  the  jet-like 
figure.  One  by  one,  before  seating  themselves  upon  the 
ground,  would  go  through  the  formality  of  raising  dust. 

It  was  very  amusing  to  note  Karemba,  who  evidently 
wanted  to  show  that  he  was  no  commoner.  No  shuffling  of 
feet  for  him  ;  he  was  a  free  son  of  the  mountains,  to  whom 
such  a  silly  ceremony  had  no  meaning.  With  an  air  of 
great  superiority,  he  walked  in  front  of  this  black  and 
earthly  deity  and  requested  a  light  for  his  pipe,  which  he 
wore  as  a  pendent  ornament  when  he  was  not  smoking. 
The  fact,  too,  of  his  having  a  hat  and  shirt  gave  impressive 
efiect  to  his  tout  eiisemhle. 

The  dark  enigma  utterly  ignored  my  presence.     Worse 


"  Ji'LLE   TEM  MEDO   DE   OUEBRA."  287 


than  that,  none  of  us  could  understand  a  word  that  these 
people  said.  Although  I  continued  to  sj^eak  in  my  very 
best  mixture  of  Portuguese  and  Spanish,  I  signally  failed 
to  create  the  slightest  impression.  He  was  tlio  most 
uncouth  being  whom  I  had  yet  encountered. 

Among  the  motley  crowd  which  stood  around  was  one  old 
man  who  kept  saying  Guerra,  guerra  !  Under  the  impres- 
sion that  I  might  be  able  to  gather  some  hints  fr(im  this 
old  fellow,  I  abruptly  left  the  inhospitable  circle,  signing  to 
him  to  follow  as  I  took  my  departure. 

"  EUe  tern  medo  de  guerra !  "  (he  is  afraid  of  war)  the  old 
boy  continued  to  repeat.  This,  of  course,  was  to  me  very 
ridiculous.  He  could  not  comprehend  any  question  I  put  to 
him,  so  I  proceeded  towards  where  my  party  had  been  left, 
leaving  him  standing  in  silent  solitude. 

En  passant,  I  may  say  that  afterwards  I  discovered  that 
these  tribes  have  reason  to  be  timid,  through  the  petty  wars 
which  are  being  continually  waged  amongst  themselves. 

Despite  the  discouraging  reception,  I  thought  it  would  be 
as  well  to  bring  forward  the  party.  We  were  soon  witliin 
the  skull-bedecked  portals  of  the  town  ;  into  which  we 
marched  with  all  the  pomp  of  a  conquering  army.  Every- 
body seemed  to  be  frightened ;  not  excepting  the  double- 
dyed,  black-looking  rascal  I  had  previously  addressed.  Not 
a  trace  of  him  could  be  seen.  We  halted  in  front  of  what 
had  the  appearance  of  being  the  lounging  place  of  the 
monarch — whoever  he  might  be — during  the  heat  of  the 
day. 

By  this  time  we  were  a  thoroughly  mixed  crowd.  Few 
could  understand  what  their  neighbours  said,  so  that  wo 
had  all  the  confusion  of  a  modern  tower  of  Babel 

Strange  to  say,  Umfana,  whom  we  had  always  termed  tbe 
Matabeli   boy — although  I  am   convinced  that   he   was   a 


288  THE  FAR  INTEHIOIt. 

Mashona — could  get  on  better  with  the  language  spoken 
here  than  any  of  the  others.  Therefore  I  sent  him  off  as 
an  ambassador  to  anyone  who  might  appear  inclined  to 
listen  to  the  proclamation  that  I  was  going  to  the  Zambesi ; 
that  I  wished  to  have  a  hut  for  my  boys  and  for  my- 
self; and  that  it  was  my  desire  to  see  the  great  king 
Sakanii. 

Who  should  appear  but  the  veritable  black  man  in  the 
white  cloth  !  Umfana  had  clearly  succeeded  in  persuading 
him  that  our  mission  was  not  one  of  war,  and  that  we  were 
not  bent  upon  demolishing  the  town. 

John,  who  looked  as  if  he  were  listening  to  the  thunders 
of  the  Last  Day,  rapidly  approached. 

"  Master,"  said  he,  "  dat  black  man  is  asking  Umfana 
what  for  de  master  walk  up  to  him  mit  de  assegai,  and 
Karem  mit  de  gun  and  all  de  cartridges.  Master,  dese 
Portuguese  is  olful  black." 

Of  course,  I  told  John,  that  so  far  I  had  not  seen  a 
Portuguese.  Eegarding  what  he  said  about  my  ajiproaching 
the  chief  with  an  assegai  in  my  hand,  it  was  simply  the  way 
I  had  always  travelled — that  is  to  say  either  with  a  gun  or 
an  assegai.  It  never  occurred  to  me  that  I  was  warlike  j 
but  no  doubt  the  assegai  gave  me  a  bellicose  or  sanguinary 
aspect. 

After  a  good  deal  of  meditation  and  deliberation,  the 
white  man  with  the  black  knob  sent  some  slaves  to  show  us 
the  huts.  One  which  was  circular,  and  15  feet  in  diameter, 
I  gave  to  the  boys.  The  other,  which  I  retained  for  my  own 
use,  was  a  small  oblong  building,  evidently  very  old  and 
very  much  off  the  straight.  Its  walls  and  floor  were 
smeared  with  mud  ;  the  roof  was  a  network  of  cobwebs, 
among  which  hung  pendants  of  soot,  like  jet-black  icicles ; 
a  window  about  the  size  of  a  family  Bible  admitted  the 


ARID   RIVER   BEDS.  289 

struggling  light ;  and  mingled  with  all  these  appearances 
was  the  olfactory  perception  of  a  diabolical  odour,  which 
would  have  suffocated  an  attic  lodger  in  the  Seven  Dials. 

A  filthy  abode,  sure  enough!  But  within  its  walls  all  our 
goods  were  stored.  The  thought  often  crossed  my  mind  : 
"How  infinitely  preferable  it  would  be  to  camp  in  the 
woods."  And  yet  I  had  good  reasons  for  taking  quarters  at 
this  filthy  place.  I  well  knew  that  my  party  was  bound  to 
break  up  very  soon,  and  that  I  should  have  to  proceed  alone ; 
therefore  a  repository  in  which  to  leave  my  goods — what 
little  there  was  left — was  essential. 

Every  observation  tended  to  show  that  my  calculations 
with  regard  to  our  geographical  position  had  been  correct. 
Notwithstanding  this,  all  dreams  of  canoeing  had  to  be 
utterly  abandoned  when  I  looked  upon  the  river  on  whose 
bosom  we  were  to  float  to  the  Zambesi.  Before  us  was 
the  waterway's  silent  bed  cut  deeply  down  through  sandy, 
alluvial  strata,  leaving  steep  banks  on  the  sides  bearing  the 
marks  of  places  where  wild  currents  had  played  with  the 
greatest  force.  Where  was  the  water  ?  Certainly  not 
here;  for  nothing  but  sand,  interminable  sand,  could  be 
seen.  We  had  traced  it  for  miles,  but  had  not  seen  even  a 
solitary  pool  that  might  lead  one  to  hope  that  water  would 
be  found  a  little  farther  down  its  arid  course ! 

Canoeing  indeed !  What  did  Chief  Mjela  mean?  There, 
before  us,  were  the  women  digging  holes  in  the  heated  sand 
in  order  to  procure  a  supply  of  drinking  water. 

Above  all  things  in  my  mind  was  the  predominating 
thought :  "  Where  are  the  beads  and  the  cloth  which  will 
enable  me  to  satisfy  my  men  ?  "  This  was  no  white  man's 
town  :  it  was  a  regular  Kaffir  kraal !  I  had  inquired  if  cloth 
could  be  purchased.  There  was  none.  All  I  had  left  were 
a  few  pounds  of  beads  and  four  blankets,  besides  the  two 

VOL.  I.  u 


290  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

or  three  yards  of  striped  cloth  which  I  had  promised  to 
John  for  his  "  leetle  wife." 

The  men  came  forward  in  a  body,  and,  patting  their 
bellies,  which  certainly  did  look  rather  baggy,  declared — 

"  We  are  hungry ;  give  us  cloth,  and  we  will  buy  some 
meal."  What  was  to  be  done  ?  Before  anything,  it  was 
necessary  that  the  individual  who  ruled  the  town  during 
the  absence  of  Sakanii  should  be  unearthed. 

By  a  bit  of  good  fortune  a  man  turned  up  who  could  talk 
well  with"  Karemba.  He  offered  his  services  to  show  where 
game  was  to  be  found.  I  was  determined  not  to  rest  or 
wander  until  I  had  cleared  up  the  situation;  so  I  made 
use  of  the  man  by  persuading  him  to  procure  a  messenger 
who  would  convey  to  Sakanii  the  intelligence  that  I  was 
in  the  town.  The  people  of  the  town  would  not  do  any- 
thing for  me  until  they  received  orders  from  the  king. 
The  letter  I  sent  to  Sakanii  was  written  in  the  best  Portu- 
guese at  my  command,  and  the  man  who  took  it  said  that 
he  might  be  back  in  five  days.  The  town  of  the  king  was 
on  the  Zambesi,  and  was  called  Chigurindi. 

With  the  first  streak  of  dawn  John  and  myself  were  up 
and  away  in  search  of  the  much-longed-for  meat.  We 
moved  out  in  different  directions.  Game  was  found  to  be 
very  shy;  but  by  noon  we  had  both  returned,  I  having 
bagged  a  very  fat  bush-pig  and  a  fine  specimen  of  the  wart- 
hog  with  good  tusks;  while  John  had  shot  two  Koodoo 
bulls  (Strepsiceros  Kudu),  although  he  was  able  to  secure 
only  one  of  them.  I  had  seen  a  big  herd  of  eland,  but 
could  not  get  within  range,  as  they  had  seen  me.  The 
spoor  of  white  rhinoceros  was  discerned ;  but  these  animals 
are  remarkably  scarce  in  this  neighbourhood.  Black 
rhinoceros  are  more  plentiful. 

Having  been  informed  that  the  mother  of  Sakanii  lived 


SWARMING   RATS.  291 

in  a  big  round  hut,  enclosed  by  a  thatch  fence  of  high 
grass,  and  as  it  was  hinted  that  she  was  the  supreme 
dictator  during  the  absence  of  her  son,  I  sent  her  a  large 
supply  of  meat,  an  act  of  courtesy  and  diplomacy  which 
brought  forth  in  return  two  baskets  of  tomatoes  and  one 
large  basket  of  meal.  The  exchange  was  a  considerable 
help  to  us. 

The  night  which  we  had  spent  in  the  hut  had  been 
almost  unbearable,  to  us  who  had  been  so  long  accustomed 
to  the  fanning  of  the  freshest  winds  during  the  time  of  rest. 
Confinement  was  suffocating ;  but  John  remarked  that  we 
had  better  sleep  inside,  as  the  house  had  been  given  us. 
From  whence  its  horrible  effluvium  arose  I  could  not  con- 
ceive ;  but  apparently  the  dwelling  (save  the  mark  !)  had 
not  been  used  for  years.  Throughout  the  dismal  night  the 
swarming  rats  squealed  and  fought.  The  ends  of  two 
candles  were  still  to  the  fore,  so  we  lit  them,  and  so  long  as 
they  burned  we  had  a  little  rest. 

On  the  second  night,  however,  I  was  determined  to  try  a 
change,  so  I  cleared  the  rubbish  from  beneath  a  neighbour- 
ing tree,  and  enveloping  myself  in  a  blanket  lay  down  with 
much  satisfaction.  Mental  congratulations,  however,  were 
soon  disturbed  by  some  of  the  townspeople  who  came  and 
intimated  that  we  should  go  into  the  hut,  to  avoid  the 
ferocity  of  a  wolf  which  came  to  the  town  at  night,  and 
was  very  dangerous  owing  to  the  freedom  of  its  habits  in 
the  way  of  carrying  off  bites  from  the  face,  such  as  the 
nose,  chin,  and  so  forth. 

In  spite  of  this  warning  we  remained  outside ;  although 
the  protestations  of  the  people  were  very  impressive.  I 
felt,  however,  that  it  was  better  to  take  our  chances  in  the 
open  air  than  spend  another  miserable  night  in  our  filthy 
den  overrun  with  vermin,  which  seemed  to  be  its  natural 

u  2 


292  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

inhabitants.  It  is  fair  to  say  that  next  morning  I  saw 
a  woman  who  had  one  eye  wholly  destroyed,  while  several 
other  women  were  very,  much  disfigured  in  the  face,  the 
result  of  attacks  by  the  wolf  spoken  of. 

A  complaint  was  here  made  to  me  that  the  Inyota  men 
had  been  causing  a  disturbance  among  the  young  women. 
Should  such  conduct  be  continued  there  would  be  fighting 
between  them  and  the  men  of  the  town.  It  was  the  satani- 
cally  black  man  who  made  the  complaint,  which  he  did  in 
a  vehemently  expostulatory  oration,  intended  for  all  whom 
his  voice  could  reach. 

.  I  had  no  copy  of  the  Mutiny  Act  to  read ;  but,  assembling 
the  Inyota  men  before  me,  I  said  that  if  they  expected 
either  cloth  or  beads  they  would  have  to  behave  themselves. 
Failing  to  do  so  they  would  get  nothing,  and  would  be  sent 
away  without  meat  or  meal.  This  impressive  address  was 
concluded  by  a  few  very  decided  words  and  penetrating 
looks,  after  which  the  meeting  dispersed.  I  gave  the  ebony 
fiend  a  bottle  of  brandy  to  sooth  his  indignation,  and  another 
day  was  numbered  with  the  past. 

During  the  middle  of  the  night  our  friend,  his  satanic 
majesty,  appeared,  much  under  the  influence  of  the 
medicine  which  he  had  evidently  partaken  of  very  freely, 
so  that  his  system  had  received  a  violent  shock.  He 
thoroughly  appreciated  the  "  liquid  encouragement "  which 
had  upset  him  so  completely,  and  said,  as  a  matter  of 
course,  that  he  wanted  more,  more.  I  told  hitn  I  had  no 
more ;  for  I  was  not  going  to  give  away  the  only  bottle  I 
had  left.  After  that  he  succeeded  in  making  himself  a 
successful  nuisance,  and  eifectually  stopped  our  sleep  for 
the  main  portion  of  the  night  by  his  tipsy  uproar,  although 
not  another  drop  did  he  get  from  my  canteen. 

Days  of  hard  work,  followed  by  hideous  nights,  passed 


FLIES  IN  MYRIADS.  293 

slowly  away.  Throughout  the  day  work  was  very  hard, 
for  we  had  to  keep  the  town  in  meat.  At  this  duty,  John 
and  I  took  turns.  Sometimes  we  spent  nights  in  the 
forest,  which  was  in  every  way  preferable  to  the  usual 
resting  place.  The  game  was  exceedingly  shy,  and  so  far 
from  the  town,  that  pursuit  entailed  long  stalks  under 
the  burning  sun,  which  glowed  through  the  heated  atmo- 
sphere, lying  like  a  steam-cloud  over  the  labyrinthine, 
tropical  forest. 

Whenever  we  shot  anything,  swarms  of  human  vultures 
crowded  around,  so  that  the  meat  was  soon  exhausted.  As 
a  matter  of  fact,  it  would  not  keep  for  two  days,  as  it  rapidly 
became  offensive. 

Flies  were  literally  in  myriads.  Fortunately  the  tsetse 
fly — although  swarming  in  the  neighbourhood,  and,  in 
fact,  throughout  all  this  belt  of  country  between  the  foot- 
hills of  the  Makomwe  mountains  and  the  Zambesi — did 
not  trouble  us.  In  the  town  it  was  by  no  means  constant 
in  its  attendance ;  in  one  place  they  might  be  innumerable, 
but  a  mile  farther  east,  few  could  be  seen. 

It  was  at  this  stage  that  John  came  to  me  with  rueful 
tidings  for  which  I  was  not  wholly  unprepared.  He  said 
that  Sagwam,  Karemba,  and  himself  were  all  "  veree  tired ; 
they  had  wandered  far  from  home,  and  wanted  to  go  back." 

"I  not  want  to  leave  de  master,"  continued  John, 
speaking  for  himself;  "  but  I  must  go.  I  tink  of  my  leetle 
wife." 

"  You  must  stay,"  was  my  response  to  the  so-far  faithful 
trio,  '■  at  least,  until  I  am  able  to  get  boys  or  to  see  the  king. 
I  can't  give  you  the  present  I  would  like  to  give,  because  I 
have  but  little  left." 

"  But,"  remonstrated,  John,  "  will  the  master  noi  come 
back  wid  us  to  Bulawayo  ?  " 


294  TEE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

"  No,  John,  I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  get  to  the  lakes. 
I  would  like  to  go  back  and  hunt ;  but  I  want  to  see  the 
Zambesi  Kiver  and  the  great  lake  beyond.  Besides  I  think 
I  will  shoot  more  elephants  there." 

The  mention  of  the  coveted  animals  evidently  touched 
the  heart  of  John,  bat  he  said  sadly : 

"  Ah !  master,  I  like  to  see  dat  contree  var  dey  say  dar 
68  lots  of  olifant.  But  I  must  go  back  to  my  leetle  wife. 
Master,  I  tink  I  am  fighting  wid  dose  dam  Mashona 
when  I  get  to  de  waggon ! " 

Trouble  was  not  confined  to  the  "  faithfuls."  The  Inyota 
men  now  said  that  they  were  tired ;  that  the  rains  would 
soon  be  upon  us ;  that  they  must  get  back  to  their  gardens 
to  sow;  and  above  all,  that  they  wished  to  get  back  to 
their  women  folk.  In  short,  they  desired  immediately 
to  retrace  their  steps. 

My  answer  was,  that  I  had  sent  a  messenger  to  Sakanii,  and 
if  they  could  show  a  little  patience,  I  would  hunt  for  their 
meat,  and  otherwise  take  care  of  them  until  Sakanii  should 
arrive.  All  I  had  promised  them  would  assuredly  be 
paid,  and  they  would  go  back  to  their  wives  with  cloth. 
Numerous  reports  regarding  the  return  of  the  king,  who 
was  sure  to  have  plenty  of  cloth,  were  current ;  so  that  the 
belief  that  I  would  be  able  to  pay  the  men  was  natural. 

Fifteen  days,  however,  had  elapsed  since  the  messenger 
had  left  for  the  king,  and  as  no  reply  had  come,  the  spirits 
of  the  household  were  at  zero. 

John  was  a  pitiful  sight.  His  face  reminded  me  of  the 
seaside-bather's  expression  when  he  emerged  from  the  water 
and  found  his  clothes  gone,  while  some  watchful  imps  of 
humanity  were  witnessing  his  distress  with  ecstasies  of 
joy.  Sagwam,  dissolved  in  tears,  drearily  prophesied  that 
he  would   starve,  and   surely  be  killed  on  the  way  back 


TRUCULENT  IN Y OTA    MEN.  295 


by  the  Inyota  men,  who  had  threatened  many  times 
to  carry  our  hut  by  assault,  as  they  declared  they  well 
knew  that  the  white  man  had  plenty  of  cloth,  although  he 
would  not  pay.  The  white  man,  they  said,  wanted  to  keep 
them  until  the  chief  came,  and  force  them  to  go  on  to  the 
Zambesi. 

Their  manner  of  protesting  was  curious ;  one  would  walk 
up  and  down  the  street  in  front  of  the  hut,  looking  very 
much  excited,  with  his  eyes  protruding,  and  all  the  time 
haranguing  his  brothers  to  the  effect  that  he  was  going 
home,  that  they  all  must  go  in  fact.  For  the  white  man 
would  yet  make  them  go  to  Kunyungwi.  If  they  refused 
they  would  get  nothing,  and  if  they  went  they  would  get 
nothing — in  fact,  they  would  get  nothing  anyhow  ! 

They  also  said  that  the  endunas  had  lied  to  me ;  the 
king  would  never  come. 

Simple  as  they  are,  these  people  never  give  credit  for 
any  good;  all  are  judged  as  being  bad  and  unworthy  of 
trust,  or,  like  themselves,  only  actuated  by  fear  or  hunger. 

Had  I  shown  them  the  inside  of  my  sacks,  I  should 
have  been  considered  weak,  so  I  declared  that  if  they  would 
not  take  my  word,  I  would  not  satisfy  their  demands ; 
especially  as  I  had  given  them  no  cause  for  doubt  by  any 
previous  dealings. 

"  Satan  "  had  proclaimed  that  if  disturbances  took  place 
the  inhabitants  would  drive  the  whole  party  outside  the 
town.  These  emergencies  were  met  by  my  reading  a 
special  Eiot  Act,  adapted  exclusively  for  the  purpose. 

One  evening,  on  my  return  from  a  hunting  excursion — a 
tolerably  successful  one,  for  I  was  laden  with  koodoo-meat — 
Karemba  came  to  meet  me,  with  a  face  radiant  with  smiles. 
Of  course  I  at  once  thought  that  Sakanii  had  arrived. 
Hurrah !  now  our  troubles  would  soon  be  at  rest.     I  would 


296  TEE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

tempt  the  ruler  with  glittering  English  sovereigns.  Alas ! 
the  king  had  not  arrived ;  but  John  had  a  long  story  to  tell. 
A  number  of  strangers — messengers  from  the  king — had 
come  to  the  town. 

"  And,"  continued  John,  "  de  beeg  woman,  de  moder  of 
de  king  wants  to  see  de  master." 

Consequently  I  followed  two  men,  who  took  me  to  the 
large  hut.  It  was  very  dark  inside,  but  I  was  told  to  go  in. 
As  there  are  no  windows  in  these  abodes,  I  could  see  nothing 
on  entering.  Gradually,  however,  I  could  dimly  discern  the 
figure  of  a  very  old  woman,  wearing  no  garments  save  a 
waist-cloth,  and  whose  horny  skin  resembled  a  bad  cigar, 
when  the  outer  leaf  has  been  removed.  The  shrivelled  old 
"  anatomy  "  greeted  me  with  some  words  which  I  could  not 
understand.     She  was  evidently  a  native. 

"  So,  ho  ! "  was  my  half-uttered  ejaculation ;  "  if  Sakanii's 
father  was  like  Sakanii's  mother,  there  must  have  been 
precious  little  of  the  Portuguese  about  him." 

The  miserable  hut  was  almost  filled  with  baskets  of  an 
immense  size,  for  holding  provisions.  Two  men  were 
sitting  beside  the  old  woman.  She  said  they  had  just 
arrived  irom  the  Zambesi,  and  that  her  son  would  follow  on 
the  next  day.  He  was  on  the  road,  and  as  a  token  of  the 
truth  of  this  statement,  she  showed  me  an  immense  knife, 
which  tbe  men  had  brought  with  them ;  the  only  way  she 
could  tell  ne  was  coming,  for  the  old  lady's  education  indi- 
cated more  of  the  exercise  of  the  hoe  than  the  wielding  of 
the  pen.  Her  bump  of  understanding  was  agricultural  to  a 
degree. 

While  the  interview  was  proceeding,  I  could  not  help 
giving  place  to  the  impression  that  the  whole  affair  was  a 
trick  designed  to  keep  me  in  the  town,  so  that  more  goods 
could  be  had  from  the  too  slender  store ;  the  people  thinking 


KAUEMBA'S  JOY.  2f)7 


of  course  that  my  supply  was  inexhaustible,  and  that  every 
word  I  spoke  was  utterly  untrue.  Moreover,  they  might 
think  that  by  detaining  me  they  would  ensure  their  supply 
of  meat.  If  this  in  reality  was  their  plan,  it  was  not  a 
bad  one ;  but  I  could  not  afford  to  fall  out  with  the  old 
lady. 

Keturning  from  her  majesty's  presence,  I  found  all  the 
boys  in  a  happier  frame  of  mind,  Karemba  declaring  he 
was  so  glad  that  he  could  hardly  keep  still.  Poor  Karemba 
was  the  man  who  had  assisted  me  most  during  this  arduous 
trip.  When  I  saw  his  mirthful  mood,  I  could  not  help 
thinking  what  an  easy  matter  it  is  to  be  jolly  when  all 
around  is  sunshine. 

This  faint  glimmer  of  hope  and  excitement  was  soon 
past,  and  I  wandered  down  to  the  sandy  bed  of  the 
Msingua  Kiver,  where  I  dug  a  deep  hole,  and  had  a  bath. 
Thus  ended  another  day's  proceedings. 

I  now  discovered  that  "  Satan's  "  real  name  (by  the  way 
not  half  so  appropriate  as  that  which  I  bestowed  upon  him) 
was  Vitrine  Usigingome.  Along  with  others  of  his  caste, 
he  appeared  dawdling  in  the  streets,  inviting  me  to  go  and 
drink  beer,  under  the  impression,  doubtless,  that  this  would 
keep  me  in  a  humour  to  part  with  goods  more  readily. 
Accompanying  the  crowd,  we  soon  arrived  at  the  lounging 
place  of  these  peculiarly  lazy  men,  consisting  of  a  circular 
grass  roof  raised  upon  poles,  and  a  very  good  dried  mud 
floor,  on  which  a  cane  mat  was  placed,  where  the  company 
lay  or  squatted  to  drink  pombe  for  the  livelong  day.  Such 
is  the  dolce  far  niente  of  these  half-castes — a  life  of  most 
repulsive  indolence. 

And  yet  they  are  the  progeny  of  conquerors.  As  such 
they  must  be  given  due  deference  by  the  sons  of  the  con- 
quered, who,  when  they  approach  to  address  them,  or  to  sit 


298  TEE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

in  their  presence,  must  go  through  the  odd  shuffling  of  feet, 
which  I  have  already  described. 

It  disgusted  me  immensely  to  see  natives  who  were 
quite  as  good  intellectually,  and  physically  excelling  these 
creatures,  shuffling  their  feet  before  their  assumed  superiors, 
who  are  called  white  men,  although  it  would  defy  an  anthro- 
pological wizard  to  guess  their  origin,  and  a  nineteenth  cen- 
tury Socrates  to  ferret  out  the  usefulness  of  their  existence. 
Sometimes,  as  the  poor  people  would  pass  them  in  the  street, 
a  shuffling  of  feet  took  place,  and  a  clapping  of  hands,  after 
which  salutation  the  humbler  mortals  would  pass  on. 

This  pitiful  servility  reminded  me  of  the  fawning  of  the 
poor  Mexican  peone  (who  in  every  sense  of  the  word  is  a 
slave),  whom  I  have  seen  as  he  cringed  before  his  lord  and 
master,  especially  when  working  for  his  own  countrymen. 
flow  the  miserable  peone  kneels  to  the  ground  to  beg  for- 
giveness for  every  trivial  offence !  The  sight  is  enough  to 
make  one's  hair  singe  with  the  heat  of  the  head ;  it  is  so 
abhorrent  to  see  a  man  kneel  before  you,  or  before  any 
other  mortal.  Bending  low  the  knee  to  mankind,  or  to 
any  material  form,  seems  to  be  the  depth  of  dishonourable 
humiliation.  How  infinitely  superior  is  the  man  who  stands 
erect,  and  speaks  freely,  knowing  that  at  best  he  is  only 
confronting  a  fellow-being ! 

On  some  occasions,  by  the  way,  in  the  valley  of  the 
Zambesi,  I  have  witnessed  chastisement  by  the  use  of  the 
l)almero.  This  is  an  instrument  of  torture  infinitely  more 
effective  than  our  barbarous  cat-o'-nine-tails,  and  an  equally 
important  relic  of  savagery. 

The  man  receiving  punishment  is  made  to  hold  out  his 
hands  alternately,  so  that  the  operator  is  enabled  to  give 
blows  as  hard  as  he  can  uj)on  the  open  palms.  When  the 
stroke  is  given,  the  flesh  is  drawn  into  the  small  apertures 


THE  BROKEN  BANK.  299 


of  the  weapon,  so  that  an  excruciatingly  painful  effect  is 
produced.  As  soon  as  the  assigned  number  of  strokes  has 
been  delivered  the  victim  rolls  on  the  ground  cringing 
before  this  emblem  of  Christian  authority,  to  show  how 
thankful  he  is  that  his  life  at  least  has  been  spared. 
Curiously  enough,  the  first  cat-o'-nine-tails  I  saw  in  Africa 
was  among  the  furnishings  of  a  Mission  station. 

But  to  resume  my  story.  Days  passed,  and  hopes  of 
Sakanii  ever  coming  were  dying  away.  I  felt  that  more 
active  steps  would  have  to  be  taken.  There  was  positively 
nothing  left  even  to  buy  a  chicken.  Notwithstanding  my 
promises  of  payment  as  soon  as  the  king  should  arrive,  the 
people  would  not  give  me  anything. 

One  old  man  brought  me  beer,  doubtless  expecting  a 
great  reward  in  days  to  come.  But  we  led  a  wretched  life. 
Misfortunes,  however,  had  a  certain  quieting  effect  upon 
the  nerves.  The  old  enduna — Kaparam  by  name — was  a 
constant  visitor,  and  an  irrepressible  beggar  to  boot,  although 
he  was  earnest  as  well  as  arduous  in  his  endeavours  to  gain 
a  reward  in  this  world,  by  constantly  bringing  pombe,  with 
the  evident  purpose  of  thawing  my  heart,  so  as  to  draw 
forth  the  beautiful  flannel  blanket  I  had  not  got.  He 
could  not  be  induced  to  believe  in  my  absolute  want,  but 
had  a  firm  faith  in  the  fancy  that  copious  supplies  of  pombe 
would  bring  out  the  material  truth.  Latterly  he  too  turned 
away  his  face,  probably  thinking  that  I  was  the  closest  man 
he  had  ever  met. 

"  Satan"  and  Co.  by  this  time  had  ceased  to  invite  me  to 
drink  beer  with  them.  They  also  had  found  out  that  the 
"  bank  was  broken." 

The  Inyota  men  came  and  said  they  were  hungry.  Forty- 
eight  hours  had  passed  since  John  had  left  to  hunt,  and 
just  after   dark  he  appeared,   and  I   at  once  saw  by  his 


300  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

unhappy  expression  and  jaded  bearing  that  he  had  had 
bad  luck. 

Here  was  a  perplexing  situation !  The  people  showed 
they  thought  that  now  I  would  be  forced  to  give  them 
some  of  the  cloth  (which  it  was  fondly  thought  was  stored 
away)  to  buy  some  food,  although  the  fact  was  that  I  had 
parted  with  the  last  blanket  for  a  basket  of  meal  for  them. 
I  felt  sure  they  were  hungry,  for  the  meal  had  been  finished 
three  days  before.  Now  there  was  absolutely  nothing  left  to 
buy  meal  or  sweet  potatoes. 

In  the  afternoon  I  had  sent  to  "  Satan "  to  say  that  I 
wished  some  chickens,  for  which  I  would  pay  on  the  chiefs 
arrival ;  but  his  answer  was  that  he  wished  payment  on  the 
spot.     This  is  exactly  the  Kaffir  character. 

Being  now  completely  at  a  loss  to  know  what  plan  to 
adopt,  I  went  forth  to  meditate  and  resolve ;  but  my  reflec- 
tions were  disturbed  by  a  very  wrathful  woman,  who 
happened  to  be  telling  her  husband  something  about  his 
character  in  very  trenchant  and  searching  tones.  Troubled 
and  despondent,  I  took  up  my  gun  and  wandered  into  the 
forest,  where  I  managed  to  shoot  some  guinea-fowl  and 
francolins,  both  very  shy,  being  close  to  the  town  and  hard 
to  get  a  shot  at. 

I  indulged  in  a  brief  meditation,  for  while  in  pursuit  of  the 
birds  I  had  not  ceased  to  turn  over  in  my  mind  the  most 
feasible  plan  of  relief,  until  the  time  arrived  when  I  had  to 
hurry  back  to  the  town  before  the  portals  were  closed  for 
the  night.     They  are  invariably  strongly  barricaded. 

A  new  resolution  was  now  firm,  and  I  felt  I  could  say 

truly — 

"  I  have  set  my  life  upon  the  cast, 
And  I  will  stand  the  hazard  of  the  die." 

This  place  was  intended  neither  for  man  nor  beast.     I 


I  DETERMINE   TO   FIND    THE  KING.  301 


myself  would  go  forth  to  endeavour  to  unriddle  the  enigma 
Sakanii. 

The  only  obstacle  was  the  objections  of  the  men.  My 
feet  also  were  full  of  torture.  I  wont  to  John,  certainly 
not  for  a  supply  of  happy  inspiration,  but  to  divulge  my 
resolutions  on  the  subject. 

It  was  long  after  dark.  We  sat  outside  the  hut.  Our 
conversation  was  decidedly  melancholy  in  tone,  fur  it  must 
be  remembered  that  John  had  returned  from  an  unsuc- 
cessful hunt 

"  Well,  John,  what  shall  we  do  ?  " 

"  My  gaut,  master,"  said  John,  shaking  his  head,  "  de 
sugar  is  done,  and  de  tea  is  done,  and  de  rice  is  done,  and 
everyting  is  done,  and  dur  is  no  meat,  and  us  shall  die 
from  de  hunger !  " 

"  No,  John,"  I  answered,  "  there  is  one  course  yet  left. 
I  must  start  myself  and  try  to  find  Sakanii.  I  will  not 
return  until  I  do  find  him.  In  the  morning  I  will  tell  the 
old  woman  that  she  must  give  the  boys  enough  to  eat  when 
I  am  gone." 

"She  shall  give  nothing  midout  de  cloth,"  said  John 
prophetically. 

"  You  know  I  have  gone  ahead  at  different  times  before 
this  and  have  not  failed.  By  making  long  marches  I 
ought  to  reach  the  river  in  three  days.  Help  me  to  get 
boys  early  in  the  morning,  for  to-morrow  I  will  go.  Good- 
night." 

Again  I  confronted  the  old  lady,  who  this  time  was  sitting 
at  the  door  of  her  hut  smoking  a  long  cigarette  rolled  in 
the  dried  ear  of  the  corn.  More  than  once  she  put  the 
lighted  end  in  her  mouth,  but  was  so  thoroughly  dried  up 
that  she  did  not  appear  to  suffer. 

Explaining  the  situation,  I  said  that  I  wished  her  to 


302  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

give  me  four  boys  to  go  to  the  king,  as  I  could  not  wait 
longer;  also  that  my  men  were  very  hungry,  and  that  I 
would  bring  back  cloth  and  make  her  a  good  present  if 
she  fed  them. 

"  I  will  give  you  boys,"  she  said,  "  but  Sakanii  is  coming  : 
he  will  be  here  this  moon  !  " 

Then,  thought  I,  there  is  plenty  of  time  to  starve. 

"The  women  are  making  beer,"  continued  the  royal 
mother ;  "  and  see !  there  are  numbers  of  people  gathering 
from  Msenga  who  bring  ivory  to  sell  to  him.  He  must 
come." 

The  old  lady  then  told  some  of  her  Msenga  slave-women 
to  carry  down  meal  to  my  men.  Before  the  sun  was  half 
high  I  was  once  more  ready  to  take  leave  of  the  party. 
Umfana  came  with  me,  and  leaving  the  rest  of  the  house- 
hold I  quitted  Chibinga,  evidently  much  to  the  astonish- 
ment of  the  inhabitants.  A  great  deal  of  time  had  been 
lost,  and  all  manner  of  reports  had  been  circulated, 
some  of  them  no  doubt  with  intent  to  intimidate,  but  all 
of  so  wild  a  character  as  to  be  beyond  description.  These 
reports  never  found  credence  in  my  mind.  At  any  rate 
they  had  not  the  effect  of  checking  my  purpose.  John 
informed  me  that  the  people  had  declared  that  they  would 
kill  Karemba  and  himself  if  I  did  not  return.  He  evidently 
thought  that  I  meditated  flight. 

I  took  some  boys  to  accompany  me  for  a  few  miles,  in 
case  I  might  have  the  good  luck  to  be  able  to  send  some 
meat  back  to  the  party. 

About  a  couple  of  miles'  walk  brought  us  to  a  small 
opening  which  ran  for  some  distance  back  into  the  dense 
forest.  Here  I  could  see  that  the  boys  had  observed  some- 
thing, and  taking  a  rapid  survey  of  the  ground,  I  distin- 
guished, at  a  distance  of  about  one  hundred  and  eighty 


SUCCESSFUL    SPOET.  303 

yards,  a  fine  boar  standing  beside  a  sow.  Tlieir  colour  so 
closely  resembled  the  little  scrub  which  they  wore  vigorously 
uprooting  that  it  was  by  no  means  easy  to  get  a  good  "sight" 
on  them,  and  the  difficulty  was  made  greater  through  the 
fact  of  their  facing  me. 

However,  as  they  evidently  were  startled  at  sometliing 
I  concluded  to  have  a  try,  even  at  that  long  range. 
Aiming  carefully  at  the  head  of  the  boar,  I  had  the 
satisfaction  of  seeing  that  almost  simultaneously  with  the 
crack  of  "  C.  L.  K."  down  he  fell,  to  the  unbounded  delight 
of  the  boys,  but  greatly  to  the  sow's  discomfort,  for  she 
made  two  or  three  circles  at  her  highest  speed,  giving  out 
piercing  squeals,  and  then  dashing  off  into  the  long  grass. 
At  once  I  was  off  in  hot  pursuit ;  for  I  had  the  feeling  of 
a  veritable  savage,  seeing  that  my  camp  was  hungry,  while 
my  own  little  party  had  a  very  small  supply  of  meal. 

On  I  sped  as  quickly  as  my  legs  could  bear  me.  I 
succeeded  in  "  winging "  the  sow,  but  just  then  down  I 
fell  suddenly  into  a  deep  hole  which  was  covered  with  the 
great  folds  of  forest  grass.  By  the  time  I  got  up  the  sow 
had  too  much  of  a  start,  and  managed  to  get  off. 

Returning  to  the  scene  of  the  boar  success,  I  found  the 
boys  busily  engaged  in  cutting-up.  The  bullet  had  indeed 
gone  straight  to  the  mark,  for  the  beast  was  shot  just 
between  the  eyes,  an  achievement  which  delighted  the  boys 
almost  as  much  as  it  pleased  myself,  for  shots  of  this  kind 
were  far  from  being  invariably  successful.  While  the  cutting- 
up  was  proceeding,  I  struck  out  to  discover  what  further 
favours  of  fortune  might  be  in  store  ;  feeling  that  it  would 
be  a  great  advantage  to  be  able  to  send  plenty  of  meat  back 
to  cheer  the  heart  of  the  disconsolate  John,  and  fill  the 
hankering  voids  of  himself  and  his  companions. 

Hardly  had  I  proceeded  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  from 


304  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

the  busy  butchers  when  I  discovered  something  moving 
among  the  trees  at  an  inconsiderable  distance  off.  Imme- 
diately hugging  the  ground,  I  crept  cautiously  up,  croco- 
dile fashion,  and  discovered  a  herd  of  those  most  beautiful 
animals,  the  Impala  antelopes  [Mpyceros  Melampus) ;  but 
the  cover  not  being  sufficient,  my  presence  was  soon  detected 
by  the  objects  of  the  chase — as  sharp  of  eye  and  fleet  of  foot 
as  they  are  lovely  in  form — and  away  they  sped  fast  through 
the  forest.  Putting  my  best  foot  forward,  I  was  soon  pur- 
suing in  hot  haste ;  but  the  thorny  creeper  tripped  me  up 
once  or  twice,  tearing  the  flesh  of  my  hands  in  a  most 
unmerciful  fashion ;  but  in  spite  of  this  I  succeeded  in 
wounding  a  fine  specimen,  with  a  good  head ;  and,  after  a 
furtlier  run,  managed  to  bag  him.  An  extraordinary  feature 
connected  with  these  creatures  is  their  wonderful  vitality. 

Shouting  lustily  to  the  boys  they  soon  appeared,  and 
the  reader  may  believe  that  it  was  with  a  glad  heart  that  I 
sent  back  a  good  supply  of  meat  to  the  party  at  Chibinga 
and  proceeded  on  my  journey  northwards. 

When  I  departed  from  the  town,  I  left  behind  the  chances 
of  starvation  so  far  as  I  was  concerned  personally.  iGruinea- 
fowl — Kanga  Tore,  as  the  natives  called  them — francolins, 
and  turtle-doves  abounded  in  enormous  numbers  on  our  line 
of  route.  Immense  flights  of  small  finches  swept  swiftly 
through  the  air.  They  would  rise  and  fly  with  great 
rapidity  in  one  direction,  and  then  suddenly  turn  back  and 
sweep  past  us,  making  a  noise  like  the  gust  of  a  lively  gale 
singing  through  the  rigging  of  a  ship.  Many  large  owls 
were  seen,  also  grey  vultures  and  storks. 

The  track  during  the  first  part  of  our  journey  led  us 
through  a  dense  jungle  forest  of  mimosas,  acacias,  baobabs, 
various  palms,  aloes,  and  tropical  grasses,  with  sharp  needle- 
like points.     The  black  thorns   that  were  strewn  on   the 


ON  THE  MKUMBRA   RIVER.  305 

ground  were  constantly  sticking  in  the  boys'  feet,  and  it  is 
a  curious  circumstance  that  although  the  people  belong  to 
this  country,  and  continually  suifer  from  the  painful  incon- 
venience spoken  of,  they  are  rarely  seen  making  or  possess- 
ing a  pair  of  sandals  of  thick  hide,  or  anything  that  would 
afford  protection  to  their  lower  extremities.  While  out 
hunting  I  have  noticed  how  they  would  avoid  the  belts  of 
thorny  acacias,  for  the  small  twig  with  its  stinging  point 
lies  unperceived  in  the  short  scrub  grass,  so  that  it  is  im})os- 
sible  for  them  to  avoid  it. 

Soon  we  arrived  at  the  Mukumbra  river,  which  may  be 
described  as  a  long  winding  stretch  of  sand.  It  forms  a  very 
wide  road  (broadening  in  some  places  to  three,  four,  or  six 
hundred  yards)  through  the  vast  forest,  its  shifting  sands 
extending  to  the  union  with  the  Umzengaizi  river  about 
twelve  miles  south  of  the  Zambesi,  The  fall  of  the 
river  bed  is  very  gentle,  so  that  the  silt  is  not  carried  off 
during  the  rainy  season,  which  is  the  only  time  that  there 
is  water  to  be  found  in  it.  Here  and  there  on  the  banks 
and  out  in  the  centre  of  the  arid  silt  tall  reeds  of  water- 
cane  spring  up,  also  beds  of  spear-grass,  whose  bristling 
prickles  are  as  quick  as  the  point  of  a  cambric  needle  or 
sharp  as  the  tsetse  fly's  stab. 

Upon  these  low  and  dry  sands  we  saw  the  spoor  of  almost 
every  description  of  wild  animal.  The  whole  force  of  an 
African  menagerie  had  evidently  been  out  in  search  of 
water.  There  was  the  great  spoor  of  the  elephant;  the 
heavy  spoor  of  the  rhinoceros,  which  left  holes  dug  deep 
in  the  sand  ;  the  spoor  of  the  hyena  with  its  long  claws  was 
clearly  imprinted  beside  the  clawless  signs  of  the  lion  which 
might  be  devoid  of  such  weapons,  judging  from  the  smooth 
marks  it  leaves ;  then  we  had  smaller  animals,  such  as  the 
jackal,  the  wild  cat,  and  small   wolf;  while   signs  of  the 

VOL.  I.  X 


306  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

leopard  were  very  abundant.  The  red-legged  plover  was 
noticed. 

Although  we  saw  the  spoor  of  elephants  and  rhinoceros 
these  animals  in  reality  were  very  scarce.  Koodoo,  impala, 
eland,  wild  boar,  wart  hog  and  many  of  the  smaller  antelopes 
were  plentiful.     Reed  buck  were  to  be  seen  in  scores. 

Speaking  of  the  places  where  the  pools  of  water  lay 
throughout  the  dry  season,  the  guide  informed  me  that  we 
should  have  to  go  some  miles  further  before  we  reached 
them. 

It  was  now  late  and  we  had  had  a  very  hard  day ;  the 
first  on  which  I  had  got  a  real  "  benefit "  from  the  tsetse 
fly.  The  condition  of  torment  which  I  thought  tiresome 
before,  I  would  now  have  welcomed  as  a  state  of  comparative 
bliss.  The  heat  had  been  intense.  Bathed  in  perspiration 
we  walked  through  the  shifting  sand,  which  yielded  like 
soft  snow  under  the  feet,  while  the  stifling  sultry  air  was 
literally  alive  with  the  tsetse  fly,  against  whose  maddening 
attacks  clothes  were  no  protection,  our  only  safeguard  being 
to  beat  them  off  with  twigs  and  small  branches  of  shrubs, 
giving  a  by  no  means  pleasant  exercise  under  a  torrid  heat. 
For  the  same  purpose  the  natives  generally  use  the  tail  of 
a  buffalo  mounted  on  a  wooden  handle,  an  implement  with 
which  they  swisk  their  naked  bodies  while  travelling 
through  the  fly-infested  country. 

Regarding  the  fly  itself,  I  cannot  remember  a  more  faithful 
description  than  that  given  by  the  late  Mr.  Thomas  Baines 
in  his  admirable  book  "The  Gold  Regions  of  South-Eastem 
Africa."    This  author  remarks  : — 

"  The  tsetse  is  little  more  than  half  an  inch  long,  and 
rather  more  slender  than  a  common  house-fly.  The  abdomen 
is  marked  with  transverse  stripes  bf  yellow  and  dark  chesnut 
fading  towards  the  centre  of  the  back,  so  as  to  give  the  idea 
of  a  yellow  stripe  along  it ;  the  belly  livid  white,  the  eyes 


DESCRIPTION   OF   THE   TSETSE  FLY.  307 

are  purplish  brown,  and  the  wings,  of  dusky  glassy  brown 
colour,  slip  one  over  the  other,  just  as  the  blades  of  a  pair 
of  scissors  when  closed — so  that  the  tsetse  at  rest  on  man  or 
animal  may  infallibly  be  known  by  this  one  token. 

"  No  fly  which  rests  with  its  wings  half  expanded,  like  the 
house-fly,  or  closed  together  like  a  j)ent-house  roof,  can  be 
the  tsetse;  but  if  one  is  seen  in  which  the  wings  exactly 
overlap — one  lying  flat  upon  the  other — that  is  '  the  fly.'  It 
has  six  legs,  and  tufts  of  hair  over  its  body  ;  its  proboscis  of 
piercing  apparatus  is  about  one-sixth  of  an  inch  long ;  its 
sight  and  smell  seem  to  be  keen ;  its  flight  straight  and 
rapid.  To  speak  either  of  its  sting  or  its  bite  would  convey 
an  erroneous  idea.  The  Dutch  colonists  say  it  '  sticks,'  and 
this  is  certainly  more  correct,  as  it  first  pierces  the  skin 
with  its  lancet,  and  then  injects  a  fluid  (poisonous  to  oxen, 
horses,  and  dogs)  to  thin  the  blood  before  drinking  it." 

Fortunately  at  night  the  flies  take  a  rest ;  but  I  have  felt 
them  "  stick "  more  than  once  during  nocturnal  hours. 
General  experience,  however,  shows  that  they  do  not  give 
much  trouble  after  sundown. 

Our  guide  at  length  cheered  us  with  the  news  that  the 
long-looked-for  oasis  had  been  reached.  The  goal  of  bliss 
which  we  had  anticipated  with  so  much  anxiety  was  a  small 
pool  of  water.  Near  at  hand,  upon  the  high  bank  of  the 
river's  sapless  bed,  stood  our  old  skerm  which  long  before 
had  been  used  by  the  natives,  but  whose  deserted  circle 
was  now  overgrown  with  thick  grass. 

I  pitched  my  bed  cover  a  little  further  into  the  forest  on 
a  small  patch  of  open  sandy  soil  with  thicket  around,  and 
made  a  fire  directly  in  front  of  the  little  tent. 

By  this  time  I  lived  as  the  Kaffirs  lived.  So  a  little 
porridge  of  maize  meal  and  some  roasted  impala  haunch 
formed  an  acceptable  supper,  washed  down  with  the  water 


308  TEE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

for  which  we  had  thirsted  so  long.  The  day  had  been  one 
of  the  most  fatiguing  that  I  had  ever  experienced ;  not  on 
account  of  the  distance,  but  owing  to  the  nature  of  the 
ground,  the  irritating  attacks  of  flies,  the  intensity  of  the 
heat,  and  the  painfully  troublesome  condition  of  my  shoes, 
which  were  brimming  with  burning  sand.  Fatigue  was  by 
no  means  confined  to  myself,  for  very  soon  a  chorus  of 
resonant  snoring  told  that  the  whole  company  had  found 
grateful  rest  after  the  discomforts  of  the  weary  day. 

I  had  taken  no  precaution  about  making  a  skerm,  con- 
tenting myself  with  telling  the  boys  to  keep  the  fires 
burning.  Tired  though  I  was  my  sleep  was  uneasy  and 
interrupted.  Occasionally  when  half  awake  I  could  hear 
the  low  roaring  of  a  lion,  the  roar  seeming  to  come  from  a 
distance.  After  listening  for  a  little  I  rolled  over,  being 
anxious  to  find  repose. 

A  strange  noise  awoke  me.  Sitting  quickly  up  with  my 
ears  on  the  alert,  I  heard  a  sound  like  a  low  purr.  What 
was  it?  An  anxious  thrill  went  through  me.  Perhaps, 
owing  to  uncertainty  or  the  excitement  of  the  moment,  I 
did  exactly  what  I  should  not  have  done ;  but  that  I  did 
not  know  till  afterwards.  I  seized  the  small  rifle  which 
lay  close  by,  and  crawled  out  of  the  diminutive  tent  as 
quickly  as  possible.  Before  I  could  get  upon  my  feet,  how- 
ever, a  lion  passed  by,  close  in  front,  and  with  a  low  growl 
disappeared  in  the  bush. 

This  incident  I  confess  took  my  breath  away  for  a 
moment;  possibly  owing  to  the  noise  I  heard  before  it 
"bolted"  me  from  my  calico  shelter  than  the  actual  sight  of 
the  monarch  of  animals.  Had  I  seen  him  out  at  the  foot 
of  the  tent  when  I  awoke  I  could  easily  have  shot  him, 
for  the  moonlight  was  clear.  The  lion,  however,  must  have 
been  close  to  my  head  when  I  first  heard  the  purring  sound. 


A   LTON  ADVENTURE.  309 

The  noise  I  made  in  getting  out — for  crawling  was  the 
only  means  of  getting  from  beneath  my  covering —had 
evidently  startled  my  midnight  visitor. 

The  reader  may  imagine  what  my  feelings  were  when  I 
looked  around  and  saw  that  the  fires  were  out  and  not  a 
Kaffir  to  be  seen !  I  at  once  grasped  the  situation.  The 
wretched  creatures  had  left  me,  and  betaking  themselves  to 
the  shelter  of  the  old  skerm,  w^ere  at  that  moment  all  fast 
asleep  huddled  up  together  in  a  thicket,  and  perfectly 
protected,  as  they  had  barricaded  it  with  branches.  This 
discovery  gave  me  not  a  little  annoyance.  Certainly  I 
ought  to  have  known  better  ;  but  I  was  under  the  impression 
on  going  to  rest  that  the  boys  would  sleep  round  the  fire 
and  keep  it  blazing,  and  I  was  usually  careful  that  it  was 
near  the  entrance  to  my  shelter. 

Next  morning  on  examination  we  found  the  lion  spoor 
close  to  the  tent.  I  followed  it  with  the  boys  for  some 
distance  until  it  was  lost  in  the  thicket.  After  this 
startling  experience  I  made  up  my  mind  that  in  future  no 
camp  should  be  formed  without  a  skerm,  whatever  happened, 
and  no  matter  how  tired  the  company  might  be. 

How  uncomfortable  are  even  my  memories  of  the  dawn  of 
those  miserable  days!  Kemembering  the  rising  sun  I 
seem  yet  to  feel  the  scorch  of  its  invincible  heat.  The  early 
glow  invariably  proclaimed  the  advent  of  terribly  oppressive 
days — days  for  which  it  would  be  impossible  to  find  words 
to  describe  the  utter  misery  of  their  tropical  torments.* 

*  Since  my  return  I  have  been  much  impressed  by  the  fitness  for  those 
times  of  Mr.  Edwin  Arnold's  powerful  lines : — 

"  Then  breaks  fierce  Day !     The  whirling  dust  is  driven 
O'er  earth  and  heaven,  until  the  sun-scorched  plain 
Its  road  scarce  shows  for  dazzling  heat  to  those 
Who,  far  from  home  and  love,  journey  in  pain, 
Longing  to  rest  again." 


310  THE  FAR  INTERIOR. 

As  we  proceeded  on  our  way  wading  through  the  endless 
sands  of  the  Mkumbura  river,  under  the  blistering  heat,  the 
tsetse  seemed  to  stick  faster  and  firmer.  Sometimes  we 
came  upon  small  pools  of  stagnant  water,  where  the  sand 
was  damp  and  walking  was  not  so  wearying ;  but  where 
the  sand  had  drifted  dry  and  fine  pedestrian  progress  was 
laboured  and  exhausting.  The  Kaffirs  were  constantly 
sitting  down,  looking  as  though  their  last  step  on  earth  had 
been  taken. 

I  questioned  the  boys  as  to  the  ground  we  had  still  to 
cover.  Their  reply  was  that  if  we  could  reach  a  small  town 
called  Msenza  that  night,  we  should  at  the  rate  we  were 
travelling  be  at  Chigurindi  on  the  Zambesi  next  day  at 
noon.  If  Sakanii  was  en  route  we  should  be  sure  to  meet 
him,  as  all  his  boys  used  the  river  road,  the  forest  being 
too  dense  to  pass  through  direct. 

At  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  reached  the  junction 
of  the  Mkumbura  with  the  Umzengaizi  river  which  we  had 
crossed  near  to  its  birthplace,  away  in  the  lonesome  recesses 
of  the  Umvukwe  mountains,  where  it  was  about  the  size  of 
a  little  Scottish  burn,  although  here  it  coursed  as  a  river  of 
about  a  hundj-ed  yards  in  width.  Shallowness  was  the  chief 
characteristic  of  the  stream,  which  at  no  place  exceeded  a 
yard  in  depth,  it  being  the  dry  season  of  the  year.  The 
rains  would  not  begin  until  the  end  of  October  or  be- 
ginning of  November,  two  or  three  months  later.  At  the 
junction  of  the  channel  the  width  was  about  four  hundred 
yards,  but  the  Mkumbura  had  no  running  water. 

Crossing  the  Umzengaizi  we  travelled  hard,  and  long  after 
daylight  had  departed  we  halted  beside  the  small  town  of 
Msenza.  Inquiries  were  there  made  whether  anything  was 
known  of  Sakanii,  and  to  my  unbounded  delight  and 
astonishment  I  was   told   that   the  object  of  our  anxious 


KING    SAKANII  AT  LAST  !  311 


and  weary  search  was  resting  in  the  town  with  a  krge  party 
of  followers. 

I  at  once  sent  word  that  I  was  near  at  hand  and  had 
come  with  a  view  to  seeing  him.  When  the  boys  returned 
Umfana's  (my  interpreter)  face  was  aglow  with  joy  at  our 
having  encountered  the  important  man  we  were  in  search 
of,  and  in  whose  hands  our  fate  might  be  said  to  rest. 
Umfana  stated  that  the  king  would  be  glad  to  see  me. 

I  then  made  my  way  to  the  enclosure,  inside  of  which 
were  numerous  huts.  At  one  end  of  the  enclosure  beneath 
the  canopy  of  a  sunshade  hut  I  found  the  all-important 
Sakanii,  whose  figure  was  distinct  in  the  ruddy  light  of  a 
fire  and  two  candles. 

Candles  !  Here  was  civilisation  absolute  !  What  other 
luxuries  I  wondered  would  be  there  to  fill  me  with  astonish- 
ment ? 

King  Sakanii  received  me  most  courteously.  At  a  rapid 
glance  I  could  see  that  he  travelled  in  as  comfortable  a 
way  as  possible.  I  had  a  depressing  consciousness  that  he 
looked  upon  my  condition  as  being  somewhat  dilai)idated. 
He  asked  me  curious  questions.  Eep lying  to  one  of  them 
— "  How  I  travelled  ?  " — I  clearly  astounded  him  by  saying 
that  I  had  been  on  foot  for  months,  and  that  I  had  arrived 
from  Chibinga  in  less  than  two  days.  Of  course  I  told  him 
that  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  bring  any  animals  here  for 
fear  of  the  "  fly." 

Sakanii  then  proceeded  to  tell  me  of  some  of  his  ex- 
cesses in  the  way  of  comfort.  He  was  carried;  he  only 
walked  a  little  for  the  sake  of  his  health.  I  should  see 
in  the  morning  how  nicely  his  people  ran  along  with  him, 
drumming  and  singing  happily,  ever  active  as  long  as  there 
was  a  noise. 

"  If  you  are  not  too  tired,"  he  said,  "  we  will  start  in  the 


812  THE  FAR  INTERIOB. 

morning.  I  am  going  to  Chibinga,  and  have  plenty  of  cloth 
and  beads  to  buy  ivory  from  the  Msenga  people." 

We  could  get  on  fairly  well  in  conversation,  but  he  was  a 
difficult  man  to  understand.  He  was  very  dark  in  com- 
plexion, but  his  features  were  good.  His  figure  was  slight 
and  active.  He  informed  me  that  he  claimed  the  country 
we  were  in,  and  also  had  a  town  called  Chigurindi  on  the 
Zambesi.  The  town  was  situated  between  Zumbo  and  the 
mouth  of  the  Umzengaizi  river. 

Sakanii's  father  was  named  Vicente  Rubero  de  Fonseca, 
which  also  was  his  own  name,  although  the  natives  called 
him  Sakanii.  His  mother  was  the  old  native  lady,  my 
friend  at  Chibinga,  of  whom  I  have  already  spoken. 

Coffee  was  made,  and  it  seemed  to  me  to  be  the  most 
refreshing  beverage  I  had  ever  imbibed  ;  it  had  the  effect  of 
an  enlivening  tonic,  and  invigorated  my  mind  with  brighter 
prospects.  I  felt  as  though  I  could  reach  Chibinga  in  a 
day,  although  the  distance  was  over  fifty  miles  by  the 
course  we  had  taken. 

A  number  of  the  natives  who  accompanied  Sakanii  were 
of  the  Wazezurus  (of  the  Banyai  family),  as  they  are  termed 
by  the  Portuguese.  They  knock  out  the  upper  incisors 
between  the  eye  teeth,  the  deprivation  giving  them  a  singu- 
larly hideous  appearance. 

At  Msenza  I  was  within  half  a  day's  journey  of  the 
Zambesi,  this  being  the  second  time — the  first  was  at 
Chuzu's — I  was  near  the  great  river,  although  fate  decreed 
that  I  should  see  its  waters  from  yet  another  point.  But 
even  if  it  had  not  been  necessary  to  return  to  Chibinga  to 
fulfil  my  contracts  with  the  boys,  I  could  not  have  canoed 
down  the  river  to  Tette  on  account  of  the  Kebrabasa 
rapids.  Step  by  step  I  would  have  to  tread  the  old  tracks 
back  to  Chibinga — and  then  ?     Nous  verrons. 


A   MERRY  MARCH.  313 


Early  in  the  morning  the  beat  of  the  batiika  (drum) 
announced  that  the  time  for  departure  had  arrived.  A 
biscuit  and  a  cup  of  coffee  formed  our  hasty  matutinal 
meal,  after  which  the  novel  caravan  went  on  its  way  to 
Chibinga.  After  crossing  the  Umzengaizi  river  wo  renewed 
our  acquaintance  with  the  soft  yielding  sand  of  the  bed  of 
the  Mkumbura  river.  Much  to  my  amazement  the  men 
who  bore  Senhor  Rubero  de  Fonseca  in  his  machilla*  ran 
quickly  and  almost  with  gusto  through  the  sand,  although 
it  gave  way  under  their  feet  at  every  step,  and  the  perspira- 
tion in.  beading  streams  rolled  over  their  shining  ebony 
skins.  Noise  was  essential  in  these  abnormal  efforts  of 
energy.  The  more  the  drums  were  beaten,  the  greater 
the  spirit  displayed  by  the  bearers  in  quickening  their 
pace.  Under  such  conditions  the  Kaffirs  have  very  strong 
staying  powers  ;  noise  influencing  their  progress  just  in  the 
same  way  as  music  lightens  the  feet  of  dancers.  The 
party  progressed  under  the  piercing  heat  of  a  fiery  sun, 
which,  glaring  from  a  cloudless  sky,  certainly  made  the  day 
the  hottest  I  had  spent  in  all  my  life.  The  dazzling  effect 
of  the  glistening  white  sands  was  as  powerful  against  the 
eyes  as  the  blinding  reflections  of  snow-covered  regions. 

Sakanii's  party  had  a  good  start,  for  until  I  had  given 
myself  a  good  hour's  work  progress  was  very  slow.  But 
after  warming  to  the  task,  and  in  spite  of  my  shoes  being 
full  of  sand,  the  pain  became  less,  and  I  hobbled  along  like 
a  "  six-days-go-as-you-please  "  man.  There  was  no  stopping. 
To  cool  off  would  be  ruinous,  and  would  involve  much 
difficulty  in  getting  into  swing  again.  When  the  machilla 
bearers  rested  I  would  pass  them,  so  that  on   the  whole 

♦  The  pole  was  a  choice  piece  of  bamboo  about  four  and  a  half  inclies 
through  and  thirteen  feet  in  length,  covered  with  zebra  hide,  witli  wreath- 
like  wrappings  of  zebra  mane  at  each  end  of  the  pole. 

VOL.  I.  ^ 


314  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

we  were  pretty  equal ;  I  making  as  good  time  as  I  could 
do,  for  five-and-twenty  miles  would  have  to  be  covered 
before  night,  and  I  was  determined  to  reach  our  destination 
simultaneously  with  the  other  party. 

Bodily  pain  told  that  I  was  a  fitter  subject  for  the  machilla 
than  its  occupant,  Senhor  Rubero. 

The  tsetse  were  not  so  bad  as  they  had  been  on  the 
previous  day.  Nevertheless  they  kept  our  arms  busy  all 
the  while.  In  the  afternoon  there  came  towards  the  banks 
of  the  river  numerous  wart  hogs,  impala  in  great  numbers, 
and  koodoo.  In  the  bed  of  the  stream  I  saw  a  herd  of 
reed  buck  (Gervicapra  arundinacea).  It  is  a  marvellously 
beautiful  sight  to  see  these  animals  leaping  away  in  rapid 
retreat,  one  after  the  other  bounding  high  in  the  air  with 
quickly  impulsive  and  yet  remarkably  graceful  leaps. 

Camp-making  formed  a  very  lively  scene.  Compared 
with  my  small  escort,  the  sight  of  a  force  of  eighty  picked 
followers  busily  at  work  was  quite  imposing.  When  I 
pitched  my  small,  and,  by  that  time,  rather  filthy  little 
bed-cover,  the  contrast  between  it  and  Senhor  Rubero's 
sumptuous  residential  marquee  was  so  marked  that  the  sight 
occasioned  no  slight  merriment.  Laughter  rang  out  on  all 
hands,  and  I  at  once  had  an  invitation  from  the  king 
to  share  space  with  him,  which  I  accepted,  although  I  was 
very  well  satisfied  with  my  humble  but  serviceable  cover. 

Similar  experiences  and  trials  were  encountered  next 
day,  the  tsetse  being  particularly  diligent.  Evening,  how- 
ever, showed  that  we  had  a  good  record  of  miles  left  behind, 
reducing  the  distance  to  Chibinga  to  ten  miles,  which 
we  arranged  to  cover  next  morning. 

My  mind  had  a  feeling  of  airy  gladness  when  I  thought 
that  I  should  now  be  in  a  position  to  satisfy  the  expectations 
of  my  long-suffering  men  before  they  set  out  on  their  return 


RETURN   TO    CHIBINOA.  315 

homewards,  and  to  show  that  after  all  there  was  a  possi- 
bility of  meeting  some  one  foreign  to  them  who  would  keep 
his  word. 

As  yet  I  had  not  revealed  to  my  new  friend  Senhor  Rubero 
what  my  wishes  were  with  regard  to  the  boys  ;  but  in  the 
evening,  as  we  sat  comfortably  imbibing  our  coffee  upon 
a  cane  mat  and  surrounded  by  numerous  camp-fires,  which 
shed  a  warm  and  cheerful  light  upon  the  scene,  I  told  him 
where  I  had  come  from,  and  what  my  intentions  wore  with 
regard  to  future  movements.  I  informed  him  that  all  my 
boys  were  going  to  leave  me  here,  and  that  1  hoped  I  could 
rely  upon  his  assistance  in  finding  men  to  proceed  with  me 
upon  my  journey.  1  also  asked  for  some  coffee.  His  reply 
was  that  he  could  give  me  men,  but  only  a  little  coffee,  as 
he  had  brought  with  him  but  a  small  quantity  for  his  own 
use ;  such  a  luxury,  as  a  matter  of  course,  having  no  sale 
among  the  Kaffirs. 

Long  before  daybreak  I  was  up  and  on  the  march.  I 
wanted  to  get  a  good  start  of  my  friend,  whose  constant 
relays  of  macMlleiros  permitted  a  running  pace  to  be  kept 
up,  altogether  too  fast  for  me  under  the  circumstances. 

The  morning  air  was  cool,  and  I  made  a  good  gap  between 
us  before  Eubero  succeeded  in  striking  his  tent  and  getting 
under  way.  We  crossed  fresh  spoor  of  the  rhinoceros 
(black).  Something  like  the  excitement  of  a  race  inspired 
the  onward  movement,  but  I  knew  that  we  should  soon  be 
overtaken.  I  listened  with  a  keen  ear,  and  gradually  the 
faint  rumble  of  drums  could  be  heard  in  the  distance,  be- 
coming more  audible  and  swelling  louder  and  louder  until 
the  pursuing  party  came  in  sight  and  were  upon  us. 

Now,  however,  the  evenly  poled  walls  of  Chibinga  were 
visible  in  front.  In  dense  masses  the  inhabitants  swarmed 
out  of  the  town.     As  they  excitedly  rushed  forward  in  mad 


316  THE  FAR   INTERIOR. 

exultation,  the  machilleiros  shouted  with  a  new  vigour,  and 
drums  were  beaten  with  redoubled  energy,  ceaselessly 
encouraging  the  heated  throng  which  moved  helter-skelter 
towards  the  town.  All  together  we  arrived  in  the  plaza 
of  Chibinga  just  as  the  hands  of  my  watch  touched  the 
hour  of  nine.  Right  in  front  of  us  was  Senhor  Ruber^'s 
house.  We  had  been  away  for  four  days  and  four  hours, 
and  had  covered  a  hundred  miles  of  ground.  This  state- 
ment is  given  as  a  fact,  not  as  a  feat. 


^ 


END  OF  VOLUME   1. 


IiONDON:    rSINTKO  BY  WILLIAM  CLOWES  AND  SONS,  LIHIIEP,  STAMFOUD  STKEET 
AMD  CBABUiO  CBOSS. 


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